The Job is Never Done
by IMTheresa
Summary: Sam and Dean have to find out what's after two little boys they crossed paths with before. Will they be able to save them from a life like their own?
1. Chapter 1

The Job is Never Done

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own them; I just like to borrow them once in a while.

**A/N**: I wrote a story called _Tested_ a while back and introduced two little boys named Alex and Nicholas. In this story, they cross paths with the Winchesters again, but Dean's history from _Tested_ isn't rehashed here. You don't have to read the first story to understand what's going on; I've given enough history so that the reader will understand.

I hope you like this one – it's probably the longest thing I've written to date, so settle in and get comfy. As usual, I'm just about finished writing, so the updates will come quickly.

Feel free to tell me what you think; I always love hearing from you.

oooOOOooo

_Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. _

_"Yes, Piglet?" _

_"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." _

A.A. Milne

oooOOOooo

"What were you thinking, Dean?" Sam asked, not for the first time, as he cleaned the knife wound in his brother's shoulder. "You're lucky that blade missed anything important."

Dean took another swig from the tequila bottle as Sam applied pressure to stop the bleeding that had started again.

"You gotta stop take chances like that, man," Sam said.

"Stop being such a mother hen, Sammy," Dean said, his words slightly slurred by the alcohol.

Dean probably didn't need to drink as much of it as he was, but Sam wasn't about to take the bottle away from him. His shoulder was going to hurt like hell; may as well put it off for as long as possible.

"That's pretty ironic coming from you," Sam scoffed as he reached for the sterile pad and tape. Once the wound was bandaged, Sam helped Dean settle in the nearest bed and went about putting away the first aid supplies. "I don't think it needs stitches, but I'll keep an eye on it."

He knew that Dean was watching him through half-closed eyes, but Sam ignored him. Now that he was sure Dean would be okay, Sam was giving in to his anger. Dean had always taken chances with his life, especially if he was protecting his little brother in the process, but it was getting worse and Sam didn't like it. It was hard enough to get out of bed knowing that every day was one day closer to the last one Dean would have, but him getting more reckless made it that much harder.

Dean had sold his soul to give Sam his life back; he was going to die in a matter of months and the cavalier way in which he'd chosen to deal with it was making Sam crazy. At first, Sam had given in to every "dying wish" Dean had, but it hadn't been long before Sam realized what he was really doing. Everything Dean did, every woman he had sex with, it was all just Dean's way of ignoring what was going to happen.

They'd had a few arguments about Dean's actions and his lack of interest in saving himself, but the last thing Sam wanted to do was argue with his brother. Not with so little time with him left….but he also didn't want Dean to take unnecessary chances that could end his life even sooner.

From the corner of his eye as he was packing the first aid kit into his duffle bag, Sam saw Dean reach for the bottle of tequila.

"You might want to slow down," Sam cautioned.

"I won't regret it until tomorrow. And maybe the hangover will keep me from thinking about how much my shoulder hurts."

"You want something to eat?"

"I don't want to kill my buzz," Dean took a swig from the bottle. "And I probably won't be awake in fifteen minutes. What are you going to do?"

Sam looked at him. "I don't know."

"I do. You'll research….You really need to get out once in a while, Sammy."

"I get out enough," Sam protested quietly as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"You should at least go get yourself something to eat."

"I'm fine; don't worry about me," Sam said as he reached for the bottle before it fell from Dean's hand.

"That damn knife better not have left a scar," Dean grumbled as he burrowed under the blanket, lying on his uninjured side.

Sam smiled and put the tequila on the bedside table. Dean was snoring contentedly a few minutes later. Sam watched him, his smile fading and the sadness that he felt coming through. He wiped a hand over his face, then went into the bathroom.

He knew what it was going to be like without Dean. He'd seen it; he'd lived it for six long months. Stuck in a time loop, Tuesday after Tuesday he'd watched his brother die, but he'd always be okay when Sam woke up. But then he died on Wednesday….

Sam had withdrawn from Bobby and hunted with a fervor he'd never known before. He'd become obsessed and hell bent to destroy anything and everything evil. He'd even killed a few things that were only questionable because he was in so much pain and just didn't care….But then he finally found the Trickster, the thing who had started it all, and begged him to reset time. Sam still didn't understand why the Trickster had done it, but he had his brother back and that was good enough for him.

In the shower Sam let the tears fall that he couldn't allow at any other time. He didn't want his brother to die, but he was powerless to stop it. Dean was becoming less casual about his fate, but he still wouldn't agree to help Sam find a way to stop it. The Crossroads Demon had put a clause in the deal – if Dean snuck out of it in any way, Sam would die. Dean refused to let that happen. That's why he'd made the deal in the first place.

Dean was still fast asleep when Sam went back into the bedroom. He set up his laptop and did exactly what Dean said he would – he researched. He was determined to find a way out of the deal his brother had made; with or without Dean's cooperation.

--

When Sam woke up the next morning, he heard water running in the bathroom. He glanced at Dean's bed, knowing it would be empty, and sat up. He could smell the fresh coffee brewing and when it was finished a few minutes later, he poured himself a cup and stood in front of the window. Dean came out of the bathroom as Sam was staring at the slow-moving traffic on the highway.

"Did you keep the wound dry?" he asked without turning around, still feeling frustrated from the night before.

"Sort of."

"I'll redress it before we go. How do you feel?"

"The hangover isn't bad enough to make me forget about my shoulder."

Sam finally turned back to the room. Dean was pouring himself a cup of coffee and though he was moving rather slow, he didn't seem too much the worse for wear. Sam knew if he drank as much as his brother had the night before, his condition would be in considerably worse shape.

"What time did you get to sleep last night?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure; not too late. You up for something to eat before we hit the road?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," Dean said as he sat at the table and pushed the cup of coffee away.

Sam set his own cup on top of the television and grabbed the first aid kit out of his bag. "Let me take a look at your shoulder."

"Are you still mad at me?" Dean asked.

Sam didn't respond.

"Come on, man. There wasn't any other way."

"You don't have to jump in front of every bullet, Dean."

"It was a knife, Sammy." Dean flinched when Sam applied the antibiotic cream a little more roughly than he needed to. "Hey!"

"Don't be a smartass."

"Okay, you are still mad at me. Sam, come on. I'm really not up to fighting this morning."

Sam sighed and bandaged his brother's arm, working more gently than he had been. "Neither am I."

"That's mine," Dean said a moment later when he heard his cell phone ring tone. "Where is it?"

"I'll get it," Sam said and unplugged it from the charger. He handed it to Dean, who straightened up when he looked at the caller ID display. "Hey."

Sam suspected he knew who was calling and took some clothes into the bathroom where he could get dressed and give Dean some privacy.

"Sammy!" he heard a few minutes later. "We gotta go."

Sam opened the door to see his brother busily throwing the few items left out into his duffle bag. He seemed to have completely recovered from his hangover.

"Go where?" Sam asked as he made a final check of the room and picked up his bag to follow Dean.

"North Carolina," Dean said as he opened the trunk. "Then maybe Atlanta."

They stowed their gear and Dean headed for the driver's side of the car.

"You want me to drive?"

Dean looked almost longingly into his car, then tossed the keys to Sam. "Yeah."

"So, what's going on?" Sam asked once they were on the road. "Was that Kristine? Is something going own with Alex and Nicholas?"

"Yeah. They're back with her. Something must have happened in Atlanta, but the kids aren't talking."

"How'd they get back to North Carolina?"

"She said they just showed up this morning." Dean almost growled. "Alone."

Sam looked at him. "What? How did two little boys get from Atlanta to Mountain Ridge?"

"I don't know. Alex should have called me….or Kristine. Damnit, I just talked to him a week ago."

"Don't blame yourself for this, Dean."

"I let him down, Sam."

"No you didn't. Come on, man. We'll be there in a few hours…."

"Drive faster."

"Dean, in case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of traffic."

The older man grumbled and reached for the map in the glove compartment. "Take the next exit; we'll make better time on the back roads."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Dean said. He didn't really need to consult the map; he almost always knew how to get where they needed to be.

--

It had been quite a while since the brothers had visited Mountain Ridge, North Carolina. Dean didn't want to tell Kristine about the deal he'd made and it was much easier not to talk about it on the telephone than it would be in person.

Another hunter had shown up at the estate the last time they'd been there. He had two boys with him whose parents had been killed by vampires and they'd reminded Dean of himself and Sam.

Alex was ten and his head was full of what his dad had taught him about cars. He felt the same responsibility toward four-year old Nicholas that Dean felt for Sam. They had no other family and no one to take them in. With their safe world shattered, Dean knew what kind of life awaited them.

Kristine had found a children's home in Atlanta set up to care for the orphaned children of hunters and others affected by the supernatural. At Dean's insistence, he and Sam had taken the boys there, stopping at a zoo along the way. Dean had made sure that they both had his and Sam's cell phone numbers as well as Kristine's. The three of them were on file as emergency contacts for the boys and Dean called at least once a week to talk to them.

Despite his concern, Dean was impressed with Alex's skill. Getting himself and Nicholas to Mountain Ridge couldn't have been easy, but he hated that they'd done it. It was only a four-hour drive to Atlanta from Mountain View and Kristine wouldn't have hesitated to go to them if they'd only called. She may have even been able to get one of her contacts to them more quickly to take care of them until she got there.

--

Feeling better later, Dean took over driving when Sam stopped for gas. He was frustrated at how long it was taking to get to North Carolina, but it seemed like every route they tried was undergoing massive road construction.

"How are things there?" Sam asked a couple hours later after Dean ended a call with Kristine.

"Kids still aren't talking," Dean said. "Nicholas has been asleep….Kristine brought a doctor in to check them out; they don't have any injuries."

"Has she talked to anyone at the home?"

"No one is answering the phone, but she asked some guys she knows to go down there and see what's going on."

"You don't want to just head to Atlanta?" Sam asked.

"I want to see the kids; see if I can get Alex to talk."

Dean knew what it was like not to want to talk. Even though he'd only been four when his mother died, he remembered not feeling like talking for a long time. That was still one of his defenses even now.

"Hey, Sam?" Dean asked after a few minutes of silence. He cleared his throat. "I, uh, I haven't told Kristine about….well, you know."

"Can't say that surprises me," Sam said, the disapproval evident in his tone.

"Sam…."

"You have to tell her, Dean."

"How am I supposed to do that, huh? Hey, Kristine, great to see you. Oh yeah, and by the way…."

"So what am I supposed to do when….if we can't figure a way out of this? Am I supposed to lie to her and tell her you died on a job?"

Dean glanced at him. "That's exactly what you're supposed to tell her."

Sam shook his head and turned away. "That's not fair, man. To her or to me."

"Can we please not do this now? Let's just get there and see what we can do to help those kids."

"Fine."

"Fine," Dean said, chancing another glance at his brother. He hated to see pain on Sam's face; especially knowing he was the cause of it.

--

Dean turned onto the half-mile driveway that led to the main house on the Ryan estate. Kristine's family had been ruined by the same demon that had killed Mary Winchester and as the surviving member, Kristine was determined to do whatever she could for the hunting community. She'd turned the estate house into a place where they could come to rest and relax; there was medical help available and pretty much any other service they might need. As a trained counselor, Kristine split her time between patients in an Asheville clinic and hunters who needed someone to talk to.

Dean parked in back of the large Victorian house and Sam followed him through the kitchen door. Ross Greenfield, the de factor manager of the estate, was filling the dishwasher.

"Hey, guys, Kristine told me you were on the way," he smiled when he saw the brothers.

"Where is she?"

"Last time I saw her she was upstairs with the boys. She settled them in the last room on the left."

Dean nodded to Sam and headed toward the stairs in the living room. The door to the boys' room was open and Dean peeked in. He was stunned by the warmth he felt seeing Kristine in a large rocking chair with a sleeping Nicholas on her lap. He found it difficult to look away from her, but when he did, he saw Alex curled up under a blanket on the bed.

He took a step inside the room and when Kristine saw him, her eyes brightened. She put a finger to her lips and stood up with the little boy in her arms. She laid him next to his brother and rubbed his back until he had settled back down. After covering him with the same blanket that Alex was using, she walked out of the room with Dean.

Without a word, Kristine slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. Dean put his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head. No one had ever made him feel the way that Kristine did and even though he was not particularly faithful to her, he knew that if there could ever be one woman for him, it would be Kristine.

"Hey," she whispered after a moment, looking up at his face.

"Hey," he returned her smile, content for the moment just to look into her eyes.

Kristine led him to the end of the hall. They sat in the wing-back chairs that were situated under a round window set high in the wall.

"Where's Sam?" she asked.

"Downstairs with Ross. Have you been able to find out anything?"

"The group home is gone."

"Gone?" Dean asked confused. "What do you mean gone?"

"It burned; right down to the foundation. I've got a couple guys in Atlanta poking around. At last report the fire investigators weren't sure if it was arson or not. It started late last night. I haven't been able to get in touch with any of the people who ran it. I've got some cell phone numbers, but so far I've only gotten voice mail."

"What about the other kids who lived there?"

Kristine shook her head. "There were some casualties."

Dean ran a hand over his face. "Like those kids hadn't been through enough."

Kristine reached for his hand.

"Has Alex said anything yet?" he asked.

"Not really. And Nicholas has slept almost since they got here. He woke up a little while ago, but didn't show a real interest in staying awake. It might have been better if he'd stayed up for a little while, but I don't want to force too much on either one of them quite yet.'

"How did they get here?" Dean asked; he was unaware that he was rubbing Kristine's hand with his thumb. "Any idea?"

She shook her head. "None. Alex hasn't said and all I know is that Ross called me before I left for work this morning saying the boys had just shown up. I'm glad you were relatively close by."

"We would have come no matter where we were," Dean said. His eyes turned toward the open door. "Did they have anything with them?"

"Just the clothes on their backs."

"Jesus…."

"You've been keeping yourself pretty scarce lately," Kristine said after a few moments.

Dean glanced at her, but quickly turned his eyes back to the boys' room. "It's been busy; you know, Hell Gate…."

"I know. I just…I've missed you."

Dean had never made any promises to Kristine and she never placed any demands on him. She'd never asked him for an exclusive arrangement and he'd never offered her one. She knew what he was; not just as a hunter, but the ways he chose to wind down after a job. He assumed she saw other men when he wasn't around, but it wasn't something they really ever talked about.

"Have you been okay?" he asked.

Ever since Kristine's older sister had died at the hands of what they now knew was a demon when Kristine was a teenager, she had suffered through bouts of extreme depression. She occasionally engaged in very reckless behavior and Dean happened into town during a particularly dark period for her. She'd told him about her stays in various psychiatric hospitals, but until he saw her at rock bottom himself, they had just been stories.

After taking her to yet another hospital in Colorado, Dean had vowed to keep in better touch with her. He knew that it wasn't his job to save her, but in the rare times when he was completely honest with himself, he knew that he loved her.

"Yeah," Kristine said, glancing away. "I'm fine."

Dean squeezed her hand. He wasn't sure if she'd looked away because she was still embarrassed by what he'd seen or if she was hiding something. Neither prospect made him happy, so he decided to go back to talking about the kids.

"So, you think Alex and Nicholas left Atlanta after the fire?"

Kristine shrugged. "That would make sense, but maybe not. I mean, it's a pretty short drive, but I doubt Alex hotwired a car."

Dean couldn't help but laugh. "I bet he knows how to do it."

Kristine smiled. "You're probably right, but he didn't pull up here in a car. A bus would have taken longer and the thought of those two little guys hitchhiking…."

"How long has Alex been asleep?"

"Not long. He passed out while I was rocking Nicholas."

"You looked pretty cute rocking him, by the way."

"Oh, shut up," Kristine rolled her eyes. "You want to sit with them for a while?"

"Would you mind?"

"Of course not," Kristine stood up. "I'll be downstairs."

They paused just before the boys' bedroom and Dean put his hand on Kristine's cheek.

"I've missed you, too," he said gently, leaning down to kiss her.

--

Dean sat down in the rocking chair and kept his eyes on the little boys sleeping in the oversized bed. They'd moved close together and Alex's arm was draped over his little brother's back. Dean remembered waking up more than a few times tangled up with Sam in one dingy place or another when they were kids. Even though they weren't necessarily happy memories, Dean didn't entirely regret those times.

Half an hour later, Alex began to stir. He carefully moved away from Nicholas before sitting up. When he saw Dean in the chair near the bed, his eyes widened in surprise.

Dean smiled at him. "Hey, kid."

Without hesitating, Alex jumped out of bed and threw himself into Dean's arms. The wound in Dean's shoulder began to throb with the sudden force of contact, but he ignored the pain.

"It's okay," Dean whispered into his ear as he held the boy securely. "You're safe, Alex. I promise."

Once he was calmer, Alex pulled away from Dean slightly, but kept physical contact.

"You want to tell me what happened?" Dean asked. "How did you get here?"

Alex glanced at his little brother, now curled up on the bed with his thumb in his mouth.

"I don't want to wake Nicky."

"Come on," Dean stood up. "We'll go right outside."

Alex hesitated, looking uncertain.

"It's okay," Dean promised him as he stood up.

With a hand on Alex's shoulder, he led the boy into the hallway. The chairs that were only steps away seemed too far from the bedroom, so Dean settled on the floor with Alex. His back was against the wall, but Alex sat facing the still open door.

"Kristine called you?" Alex asked, his eyes planted firmly on the floor.

Dean noticed his hands were clasped between his legs and he seemed anything but relaxed.

"Yeah, I hope that's okay."

Alex nodded.

"She said you and Nicholas just showed up here early this morning. When did you leave Atlanta?" Dean asked, trying to keep his tone neutral. He wasn't sure if Alex knew about the fire at the group home and didn't want to give anything away accidentally.

Alex said nothing, but if possible, he seemed more uncomfortable.

"You're not going to be in any trouble, Alex. I just want to find out what happened. You were supposed to be safe in Atlanta."

Alex glanced at Dean, his face pale. "I'm not supposed to say anything."

"Who told you that?"

The boy fidgeted, looking back at the floor.

Dean sighed to himself. "Okay…You're not supposed to tell anyone about leaving Atlanta?"

Alex nodded.

"Can you tell me about living in the group home?"

Alex looked at Dean, his eyes hopeful.

"I just talked to you last week and you said everything was fine. Was that the truth?"

Alex nodded.

"Did something happen between then and when you left?"

"No. Something was going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, an uneasy feeling creeping into his stomach.

Alex hesitated, glancing into the bedroom.

"How did you know something was going to happen?" Dean asked gently. "Did someone tell you?"

Alex's eyes darted to the bedroom again.

"Nicholas knew?" Dean guessed.

Alex nodded.

"Alex," he said, leaning closer to the boy. "How did Nicholas know?"

"He…He just knew. He saw it."

"Like in a dream?"

Alex nodded.

"When did he see it?"

"The night before we left."

"What did he see, Alex?"

"Vampires. The same ones that killed our mom and dad. They were going to come back for us and...and it was going to be bad." Alex stopped speaking as his lower lip began to tremble and tears threatened to fall.

Dean could see how hard Alex was fighting to stay in control, but he knew the boy wouldn't win the battle. He was torn between pulling the kid into his arms and letting him try to regain his composure. Dean thought back to himself at that age – there were so many times he would have welcomed the secure feeling of strong arms around him, though he'd never acted that way. After only a brief hesitation, Dean put a hand on Alex's arm. The boy moved closer to him and within moments, was practically in Dean's lap, clinging to him tightly.

Dean caressed his hair as he whispered into his ear. He didn't think Alex was actually hearing anything he said, but hoped the sound of his voice would at least be somewhat soothing. It took a while for Alex to stop crying, but when he did he moved to a position next to Dean. Dean kept an arm around the boy's shoulder.

"You know you can trust me, right?" he asked once Alex was back in control of his emotions.

"I know."

"I can't help you if I don't know all the facts."

"I'm not supposed to tell," Alex whispered.

"Who told you that?"

"I can't tell you."

"Did someone threaten you?"

"Nicholas."

"Someone threatened Nicholas?"

Alex nodded.

"Did someone bring you here or did you get here by yourselves?"

"Someone drove us. He left us at the road, near the driveway and said to walk to the house."

"Was this the same person who told you not to say anything?"

Alex nodded.

"But this person didn't tell you something was going to happen at the group home?"

Alex shook his head.

"Nicholas saw that in a dream?"

"Yeah."

"Has Nicholas dreamed other things that have come true?"

Alex looked away.

"He has, hasn't he?" Dean asked, his tone sympathetic.

Alex nodded.

"It started a few weeks ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know."

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"No. Nicholas didn't want me to. He didn't like the dreams, even though they weren't about anything important. They was like what was gonna be for breakfast or that someone was going to skin their knee on the playground. He still didn't like them."

"Alex," Dean pulled the boy closer. "You have to tell me who brought you here. You know I can keep Nicholas safe, but I have to know what's going on to do that."

"You can't always be around, Dean," Alex said miserably. "I have to protect my little brother. I'm all he has."

Dean knew that feeling all too well. Even now that Sam was more than capable of taking care of himself, Dean still put himself in danger to protect him. That's why he'd made the deal to bring Sam back and why he'd jumped in front of the knife the telekinetic witch had aimed toward Sam in the fight the night before. Dean knew how much Alex was like him and knew how hard it would be to get the information out of him.

The hunter was also concerned that Nicholas had started to have prophetic dreams. The yellow-eyed demon was dead, but was it possible some other demon was carrying on his legacy? They still didn't know what had triggered Sam's visions, or the powers of the other psychic kids. It could have been something the demon had given them or something it had been attracted to, but there was no way to know for sure. Nicholas' dreams were probably a normal, non-demon related psychic power, but it would still make him different than other kids. Even more different than surviving a vampire attack.

Dean's thoughts were interrupted by the piercing scream that came from the bedroom. Alex was already at his brother's side before Dean had even gotten fully into the room. He was sitting on the bed, an arm around Nicholas and rocking him gently. Nicholas held onto his brother, crying softly. Dean stopped in his tracks when Alex shot him a warning glance. It was clear he intended to calm his little brother and Dean was expected to stay out of it until he was invited. Again, Dean knew that feeling well.

He quickly turned when he heard footsteps behind him. Sam and Ross appeared in the doorway, Kristine right behind them. Dean held up his hand and joined them in the hallway. The adults moved to the end of the hall and Dean quickly told him what he knew. Kristine asked some questions, but Dean didn't have the answers.

"I'm gonna go check on them," Dean said. He paused before going back into the bedroom. "Why don't you guys go back downstairs?"

"Get them to come down," Kristine said as she walked past him. "They haven't been out of this room all day and they've barely eaten."

He nodded and disappeared inside the large room.

--

Once they were downstairs, Ross began making coffee.

"Sam, have you eaten?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry; thanks."

Kristine leaned against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Nicholas has prophetic dreams," she shook her head. "No offense Sam, but that's gonna suck for him."

"Hey, don't tell me what I already know," he sat down at the round table. "We should get someone to help him with this. You have any psychics in your rolodex?"

Kristine grinned at him. "My rolodex?"

"It's just an expression," Sam shrugged.

"I haven't seen Missouri in a while."

"Yeah, how is she doing?"

"She was fine a couple weeks ago when she called. She asks about you guys; you should call or visit her sometime."

"It wouldn't be easy to get Dean back to Lawrence," Sam said.

Kristine nodded. "Probably not."

"It seems quiet. Is there anyone else here?" Sam asked.

The estate could house up to 20 hunters if need be, but there was rarely more than five or six at the house at any one time. Sometimes they knew people were coming, but most often they just showed up.

"A couple guys left this morning and we're empty for the time being. Except for the boys, of course."

They continued talking and once the coffee was done, Ross poured a cup for each of them. They were sitting around the table when Dean came in with the kids several minutes later. He was carrying Nicholas; the little boy's arms were around his neck and his head rested on Dean's injured shoulder. Sam could see the pain in Dean's eyes and made a mental note to get him some medication and to check the wound.

Alex sat down at the table, his eyes downcast, and Dean settled next to him.

"Hey, guys," Kristine said warmly. "Are you thirsty or hungry?"

Nicholas looked at Dean.

"We were wondering if there might be some ice cream in the freezer," Dean said conspiratorially.

"There sure is." Ross stood up and walked to the large commercial freezer. He named the three flavors of ice cream he'd gone out to purchase after the boys' arrival and Nicholas decided on chocolate.

"What about you, Alex?"

Dean laid a hand on his shoulder when he didn't answer.

"Chocolate, please," he said, though he didn't sound interested.

Kristine helped Ross and once everyone had been served, they sat back down. At first conversation was stilted, but primarily because of the boy's attachment to Dean and his efforts, it didn't take long before things became more comfortable. Kristine watched the boys closely, knowing that things would be difficult for them. She was going to have to find another place for them to live once they'd figured out what had caused them to leave the group home in Atlanta. Until then, they'd be safe at the estate, but it certainly wasn't a long-term solution.

Nicholas attacked his ice cream with vigor, seemingly completely recovered from his dream. Alex was less enthusiastic, but he finished what had been given to him. As soon as his brother was done, Alex quietly stood up and took their dishes to the sink. Ross took care of the others and the group moved to the den. Kristine wanted to find out what Nicholas had told Dean about the dream, but neither boy seemed willing to let him out of their sight.

It wasn't often that there were children at the estate, but Kristine had stocked up on a few toys the last time the boys had been there and after one round of a board game based on the cartoon, _Cars_, Nicholas was yawning. Alex's eyes had been drooping for a while, but Kristine knew he wouldn't go to bed until his brother was ready. It wasn't all that late and they'd been sleeping most of the day, but Kristine had no way of knowing how much stress they'd been under and was willing to let them sleep as much as they wanted for now. She'd get them involved in some activities the next day, knowing it would be easier with Dean's help.

Dean took them back upstairs, again carrying Nicholas. Kristine couldn't help but think about how he'd be with children of his own, but she quickly pushed that from her mind. She noticed an odd expression on Sam's face as he watched his brother walk out of the room with the boys, but when she asked him about it, he denied that anything was wrong. She didn't press.

"I have a feeling Dean is going to be staying with the boys tonight," Kristine said once Ross had retreated to his suite for the night. "You may as well pick a room and settle in."

"Are you going back to your place?" Sam asked, speaking of the cottage at the edge of the property that Kristine had been living in since her mother's death a few years before.

"I think I'll stay here. I doubt my services will be needed since the boys probably won't let Dean out of their sight, but I'd feel better being close."

Sam nodded. He sat back on the couch and glanced around the room. He liked the estate; the acres of forested land and the house itself. He also liked the town and could see himself settling down in a place like it some day. He used to think about Dean finally admitting his feelings for Kristine and deciding to stay for longer periods; Sam would be content to live in one of the small houses in town. And even though Jessica had been dead for over three years, he could still picture her in Mountain Ridge.

He pushed those thoughts away. None of that was going to happen and there was no use thinking about it. Jessica was dead and Dean soon would be unless they could find a way out of it. He had considered going against Dean's wishes and telling Kristine about the deal; Bobby was helping to find a solution, but Kristine had a lot of contacts and access to information that even Bobby didn't always have. But too many people knowing about Dean's fate could be dangerous; all hunters weren't exactly on the same side and the Winchesters had their share of human enemies. Besides, Sam knew he could never betray Dean. It was up to him to tell Kristine or not and no matter how Sam felt about Dean's decision, it was his to make.

Kristine had made a lot of changes to the house after deciding to open it up to hunters. In addition to a physical remodel that gave the guests as much privacy as possible, she'd taken out her family's heirlooms. The house was still decorated nicely, but Sam didn't think anything in it had come from her family. He had no idea where everything had gone; Kristine's cottage certainly wasn't stocked with antiques and ornate furniture.

"You okay, Sam?" he heard Kristine ask. He wasn't sure how long he'd been lost in thought.

"Yeah," he only glanced at her. "I guess I'm just worried about those boys and the effect they might have on Dean."

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting down next to him on the couch.

"I wouldn't have guessed it a couple years ago," Sam began. "But Dean is really good with kids. And I think he really likes them. I just don't want to see him get too attached."

"Dean doesn't let himself get too attached," she said.

Sam still didn't look at her, but he heard the almost melancholy tone of her voice. The few times he'd talked with her about her relationship with Dean, she'd insisted she didn't want any more than he was willing to give. She had a lot of issues of her own to work through and didn't know if she'd ever be ready for a steady relationship with anyone. He'd always wondered how much of her attitude was because she knew Dean would never commit.

"What do you think about Nicholas' dream," Sam began. "The one Alex told Dean about?"

"That the vampires would come back for them?" Kristine turned and folded one leg under herself so she could look at Sam straight on. "I'm not a vampire expert, but isn't it true that once they have your scent, they have it forever?"

Sam nodded. "But why go after the boys? There's plenty of other food around."

"I don't know," Kristine admitted. "And who the hell brought the boys here? Do they even know about the fire? None of this makes sense."

"We'll get to the bottom of it," Sam promised her. "Alex trusts Dean; he'll open up soon."

"I'd like to get them on a regular schedule. I don't know how long they're going to be here, but it's not good for them to stay cooped up in that room all day. Especially not with the nice weather and that big pool outside."

Sam smiled at the thought of his tough brother splashing around in a pool with two little boys. Actually, he decided, it might not be a bad thing for Dean. He was just going to be sure to have a camera ready.

--

Dean's shoulder hurt like hell. He knew there were probably some mild painkillers in the bathroom down the hall, but even the thought of the slight movement it would take to get there made him hurt more. Besides, he was afraid to leave the boys with no one else upstairs. Sam would probably check on him eventually, anyway.

He shifted slightly in the rocking chair and fresh pain slammed through him. He didn't notice the slight sheen of perspiration that had broken out on his face, though it probably wouldn't have surprised him. The last thing he needed was for that damn knife wound to get infected. At least they'd taken care of the witch….

Nicholas moved just enough to catch Dean's attention and he watched as the little boy burrowed under the covers. Dean was less worried about him than he was about Alex, even though it was Nicholas who was having the dreams. He was probably still young enough to learn to cope with them if they continued; Dean thought maybe Sam could help him with that. Alex had so much on his young shoulders and Dean knew exactly how that felt.

He didn't regret anything he'd ever done to protect Sam or make sure he was taken care of, but that didn't mean Dean had wanted the childhood he'd been handed. He didn't want that for Alex and Nicholas, but he didn't see any way around it.

Dean moved in the chair again, hoping to find a position that didn't send shooting pain through his shoulder but he gave up after a couple of attempts. He needed to lie down and he needed drugs.

"Hey." Sam's quiet voice came from the doorway.

"Hey," Dean whispered. "You think you can get me something for my shoulder?"

"I can see from here it's bleeding. You need to let me take a look at it."

"Later," Dean shook his head.

"Now," Sam insisted. "They're sleeping and we'll be right down the hall."

Dean knew Sam was right, but he still hesitated.

"Dean," Sam prompted, his voice still low.

Dean nodded and stood up.

In the bathroom a few doors away, it was easy enough to slip out of the plaid button-up shirt that Dean wore, but getting the t-shirt off proved much more painful and difficult. He couldn't believe a little knife wound could hurt so much.

Sam carefully removed the bandage and Dean saw him grimace.

"Oh, come on, Sammy. It's just a little blood."

"It's a lot of blood; it went through the bandage and two shirts. And there's a lot of bruising," Sam added. "There might even be some swelling."

Dean backed away when Sam's hand landed on his forehead. "Dude!"

"You're sweating; you might have a fever. Dean, you don't want this infected."

"It's fine."

Sam shook his head and pulled what he needed from the medicine cabinet above the sink.

"Sit down," he told his brother.

Dean sat on the closed lid of the toilet and tried not to think about the throbbing or the mild nausea he was beginning to feel.

"Are there any pain killers in there?" he asked as Sam was still browsing through the supplies.

"Just the over the counter kind," Sam said. He held out a bottle of ibuprofen.

Dean shook his head. "Do we have anything in the car?"

"That bad?" Sam asked, concern evident on his face.

"Nicholas hit it a few times when I was holding him," Dean said nonchalantly.

"Let me clean it up and get it bandaged again, then I'll bring our stuff in. I could ask Krist--"

"No," Dean said.

Sam didn't argue, but set about doing what needed to be done and Dean tried to pretend that every touch wasn't agony for him. They didn't talk; Dean was in too much pain to start a conversation and he assumed Sam must have guessed that.

It seemed to take forever, but finally Sam was finished.

"You should go to bed," Sam said. "Use the room next to the boys; you'll be able to hear if they wake up. I'll be right back with some pills and our bags."

Dean looked at his brother gratefully, but only nodded as he walked out of the bathroom.

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

oooOOOooo

_Mystery and innocence are not akin.__  
_

Hosea Ballou

oooOOOooo

When Dean's eyes opened, he was sure where he was. He was normally completely alert when he woke up, but now he felt foggy. It took him a moment to remember he was at the estate and that Sam had gone to sleep in a room across the hall. When he also remembered that he'd taken two of whatever Sam had gotten from their stash of medication, the fuzziness made sense. He moved slowly, testing the resolve of his shoulder, and when the pain was only minor, he got out of bed.

He went to the bathroom and then to check on the boys. Alex was in the rocking chair next to the bed, his haunted eyes on his brother.

"It's early," Dean whispered as he walked into the room.

Alex didn't respond.

Dean carefully sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to disturb Nicholas.

"Why don't you come downstairs with me?" he suggested.

"I lost Batman."

Dean was confused. "What?"

"Batman. You gave him to me."

It still took Dean a moment, but then he knew what Alex meant. As a kid, when he'd go out after Sam had gone to sleep, Dean would put a Batman action figure in his hand as a message not to be scared because he'd be back soon. He told Alex that when he left the action figure with him in Atlanta.

"If I'm not here when Nicky wakes up, he'll be scared because Batman isn't here."

"Sam is just down the hall."

Alex shook his head.

Dean wasn't sure what to do. He desperately wanted coffee, but he wasn't sure about leaving the boys alone.

"Alex," Dean leaned forward. "I know how you feel. I'm a big brother, too, remember? I used to take care of Sam like you're taking care of Nicholas. And I still try to do it even though he's grown up now. But Nicholas is asleep. If he wakes up from a bad dream, Sam will hear him. Otherwise, he knows how to get downstairs."

Alex looked at him. "Would you leave Sam?"

Alex had asked the question as if he knew the answer. Dean spent another moment thinking about it, then decided to leave Alex alone with his brother.

--

Sunshine spilled in through the windows as Dean made his way downstairs. It was barely 7am, but having fallen asleep before midnight, Dean had gotten more consecutive hours of sleep than he normally did. He was too awake to go back to bed, but he wanted caffeine to clear his head.

There was no one in the kitchen when he got there, so set about making coffee. Ross' rooms were just down the hall, so Dean tried to be quiet. As the coffee brewed, Dean wandered to the large window that overlooked the deck, the pool and the woods beyond. He saw Kristine sitting in a chair outside with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Even though it was June in North Carolina, it often got chilly overnight.

"You're up early," Dean said as he walked out of the French doors onto the large wooden deck. He had put on shoes, but the cool morning air cut through his thin shirt.

"I could say the same thing about you," she smiled, but Dean thought it looked forced.

"I started the coffee." Dean sat down in the chair closest to her. He'd wanted to kiss her, but she didn't move as he was walking toward her and when he was closer, she didn't seem open to the affection. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long."

He tried to read her expression; she didn't seem to want to be alone, but she didn't seem particularly interested in company either. He knew that if she had wanted privacy, there were ample places she could have gone instead of the deck outside the one room everyone would gravitate toward when they woke up. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the view from the deck; trees could be seen from just about anywhere in or around the house.

"How did you sleep?" she asked him, nothing in her tone giving away her mood.

"Good. Alex is awake, but he didn't want to leave Nicholas by himself."

"I told Sam yesterday that I think it's a good idea if we get them on some kind of schedule and interested in playing outside some. I think they should stay here until we figure out what's going on."

Dean nodded his agreement. "Have you heard anything from any of the people you called?"

"No, but I'm expecting another report this morning from the guy I have looking into things. I have no idea where the rest of the kids are who were living in that home. I don't doubt the adults decided it was best to disappear, but they would have made sure the kids were taken care of."

"Do you know the people who ran that home?"

She shook her head. "Not personally."

"But they're trustworthy?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't have arranged for the boys to go there otherwise. I'll have to find another place for them when it's safe."

"With Nicholas' dreams, it may never really be safe for them," Dean said sadly. "Not to mention the vampires maybe coming back for them."

"That just doesn't make sense, though. Why would they do that?"

Dean shrugged, feeling a pull on his shoulder. "I don't know. They're vampires."

"You haven't gotten anything else out of Alex?"

"No," Dean said frustrated. "I'll keep working on it. Maybe Nicholas knows something."

"He's only four, Dean. Besides, what makes you think Alex will leave him alone? Even with you?"

Dean didn't answer.

It felt strange to be here with Kristine, especially knowing that this might be the last time he would ever at the estate. There had always been a possibility, but he'd never had a death sentence hanging over him before. He didn't like the distance that seemed to be between them – he knew that it was partially his fault because he was keeping such a huge secret from her, but something didn't seem right about Kristine's mood.

"You want some coffee?" Dean asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah," she tossed the blanket from her shoulders and stood up. "I'll come in with you."

Dean was surprised when she slipped her hand inside his, but he squeezed it as they walked to the door. The kitchen was still deserted, but the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee filled the room to the point that Dean's mouth actually watered in anticipation. He pulled mugs from the cabinet and after the coffee had been poured, he and Kristine sat at the table.

Dean was resisting the temptation to check on Nicholas and Alex again. He knew they were safe in the house and Alex knew where to find him if there was a problem. He was surprised that Sam hadn't found his way downstairs yet and normally he'd be grateful for some time with Kristine, but he wasn't particularly comfortable with her at the moment and would have welcomed an interruption.

"Do you have to work today?" he asked after a few sips of coffee.

"No. I don't go back for a couple of days."

"Did you spend the night here or go back to the cottage?"

"I was here."

"Why didn't you come into my room?"

"I checked on you when I came upstairs, but you were sound asleep. I didn't want to disturb you."

Dean nodded. They'd never slept apart on the estate before and he was a little taken aback at how sad he was that hey had last night.

"Was it drug induced?" she asked.

Dean looked at her sharply. "What?"

"I saw the blood on your shirt. You fell asleep with your light on and the shirt was hanging over a chair. What happened?"

"It's no big deal; a little shoulder wound."

"You don't take pain meds for no big deal. Do you need a doctor to look at it?"

"It's fine. I was carrying Nicholas yesterday and it got bumped more than it should have."

Kristine looked at him and Dean felt the urge to turn away, but he held her gaze. Sam knew him better than Kristine did, but she was a trained observer and knew him well enough to see through some of his bravado.

"I'll see how it does this morning," he capitulated.

Kristine gave him a look of satisfaction. Before she could say anything else, the estate telephone began to ring. She moved quickly across the room to answer it. Dean watched her, listening to her side of the conversation and could tell she was talking to someone about the fire at the group home. He had no choice but to wait until she finished the phone call, but he had a hard time being patient.

When she hung up, Kristine refilled her coffee cup and returned to the table.

"That was about the group home?"

She nodded. "George Monahan was one of the people who ran it. He said all the children have been relocated; they thought Alex and Nicholas had to be among the casualties because they couldn't find them."

"So he didn't know they were missing?" Dean had hoped for a lead.

"No. And he apologized for not getting back to me sooner, but they've kind of had their hands full."

Dean waved his hand. "Whatever. Does he know what started the fire?"

Kristine nodded, her eyes diverted.

"What?" Dean asked, a fearful cold growing in the pit of his stomach.

"They'd recently taken in a new boy and found out the hard way that he had fire-starting ability. The fire got out of control too fast for them to do anything but get as many kids out as they could. With Nicholas and Alex here, they have four."

"Still too many," Dean said unhappily. He looked at Kristine. "How old is the boy?"

"He's four."

"Like Nicholas."

Kristine nodded.

"The pattern is wrong. There was no nursery fire with Nicholas and Alex."

"I didn't say there was a pattern. You asked how old the other little boy was."

Dean knew they'd both been thinking the same thing – that there was a new generation of kids with special abilities just like Sam, Max, Andy, Ava, Jake and the countless others they'd never encountered. But with the yellow-eyed demon gone, killed by the gun made by Samuel Colt, it had to be a coincidence. In the general population it would have been unusual to run across two kids who were the same age and who had both recently begun to exhibit psychic abilities, but it couldn't be that unusual in a home that existed to care for children touched by the supernatural.

"Did this George guy know about Nicholas' dreams?"

"No. And he has no idea who would have taken him and Alex away."

"So, the only option is to get Alex to talk to me," Dean said.

"Looks like it," Kristine agreed. "George said they're going to rebuild and that the boys are welcome back when they're done."

"How long do you think that will take?"

Kristine shrugged. "I have no idea and I'm sure George doesn't know either. At least not yet."

"Will they be able to stay here until the new place if finished?"

"I don't know, Dean. We're not really set up for kids long-term. Let's just take things one day at a time, okay? They're safe here for now and we have to get to the bottom of what's going on. Do the boys know about the fire?"

Dean shook his head. "No. I wasn't sure at first, but after sneaking around the subject a little bit, I'm sure now. I didn't want to tell them last night."

"There's time to tell them. I'm not sure they need to know right away. I think it's more important that they know they're welcome here and that they're safe."

"They know they're safe here," Dean said, his thoughts going back to the little boy with the fire-starting ability. "There didn't happen to be any other four year olds living at that place, was there?"

"Don't go looking for trouble," Kristine warned. "We have enough without that."

Dean looked at her, wondering if she was just talking about the boys or if there was something else going on. He wanted to ask, but before he could, Nicholas and Alex came into the kitchen with Sam following behind.

Ross joined them a few minutes later and happily fixed waffles for everyone. He had been a chef before becoming a hunter and always seemed to be happiest when he had a large group of people to cook for.

--

Alex remained quiet throughout the meal, but Nicholas' laughter and exuberance was more than enough to fill the room. It didn't take long before the adults were laughing along with him and encouraging his good mood. Dean still kept an eye on Alex and while his efforts to get the boy to join in on the fun failed, by the end of breakfast Alex was at least smiling.

Dean and Kristine slipped effortlessly into the parent roles, teaming up to make sure that food was eaten and that the boys helped clear the table before leaving the kitchen. Alex let his little brother talk him into going outside and as Dean watched, the little boy worked on him until he was willing to play.

The scene reminded Dean of his own childhood and how Sam had almost always been able to get his own way. It didn't bother Dean then and it still didn't. He'd proven time and again that there was nothing he wouldn't do for Sam.

"How's your shoulder?" Sam asked when he walked up behind Dean. He was leaning against a tree, watching the boys.

"It's okay."

"I want to look at this morning."

"Yeah," Dean said, his eyes not leaving the boys as they chased each other around the lawn.

"Kristine told me about the phone call this morning."

Dean noticed something in Sam's voice. He turned to look at him, but Sam's eyes were on the boys.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence, Sam."

"No, you're not."

Dean shrugged. Sam was right, of course.

"I gotta get one of them to talk to me. There's no next step until we know who brought them here."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I think Alex will open up."

"I hope so.'

Dean glanced toward the house. "What are Kristine and Ross doing?"

"Ross is going out to run errands or something; I'm not really sure. Kristine said she had some things to take care of. I think she's in the office," Sam looked at him. "You guys okay?"

"It's weird. I get the feeling something is going on with her and…well, you know, the deal.'

"I still think you should tell her, man."

"Can we not do this now?" Dean asked quietly.

"So, what are we going to do with them all day?" Sam asked.

"Maybe Kristine knows somewhere we can take them; an amusement park or something. She talked about getting them on a schedule, but it is summer after all. Besides, they should have some fun; they've been through a lot."

As if she knew what they'd been talking about, Kristine joined Sam and Dean with several printed pages in her hand.

"We've got to get some clothes for the boys," she said after a moment of watching them. She handed the pages to Dean. "And I did a little research about activities in the area for kids."

Dean looked through the options. They ranged from museums to movies and amusement parks; even a train ride through the mountains.

"I wanna ride the train," he joked with a grin and handed the pages to Sam.

Kristine rolled her eyes with a smile. "Don't influence them. How about errands and boring stuff today and we can plan an outing for tomorrow?"

"How about you run errands and we'll stay here and play?" Dean was still grinning.

"Nice try, Winchester," Kristine crossed her arms over her chest and Dean's expression turned to properly chagrined.

"I can't take any more of this," Sam said, his tone light. "I'm going back inside."

"Do you want to come with us?" Kristine asked. "I was thinking we'd go to the mall in Asheville. There's a big bookstore there."

Dean didn't miss the sparkle in his brother's eyes. If there was one thing Sam had a hard time resisting, it was a good bookstore. He'd always been that way; always curious and an avid reader, often tackling things that should have been way over his head.

Sam agreed to go with them and after Dean managed to corral the boys and get them cleaned up, the group piled into the Impala and headed toward Asheville, about thirty miles away.

--

Mountain View had a lot for a small town, including an advanced medical clinic that, even with the facilities a larger city being so close, was respected throughout the area. The shopping was adequate, but catered more to the tourist traffic that came through town in the summer.

Even though it involved clothes shopping, Nicholas was excited about the prospect of touring the mall. He chattered almost nonstop in the car, but the adults still noticed Alex's sullen mood. He was compliant throughout the shopping spree, but didn't show any real interest. That was to be expected while they looked at clothes, but he was still distant at the food court where they had lunch as well as in the toy store.

Dean stuck close to him while Kristine tried to keep up with the four year old. Sam moved between the two, before heading off in his own direction. He paused before he was completely out of sight of the group and watched his brother for several minutes. Dean seemed to at ease with the boys and perfectly suited to the father role. Sam took comfort in that, but it also made him sad.

Unless they could find a way out of it, Dean would be gone in less than a year. He would never have the opportunity to settle down with Kristine, or any woman, and would never have children. Sam knew Dean had never seen that kind of future for himself, but Sam had always thought it was possible. Especially after meeting Kristine. It was so obvious how she and Dean felt about each other and even though they seemed to fight it, Sam had thought they'd somehow end up together. Kristine certainly understood the hunters' world and though she no doubt worried about Dean when he was gone, to Sam's knowledge, she never allowed that worry to interfere with their relationship.

Sam wanted Dean to tell Kristine about the deal for many reasons, but one was completely selfish on his part. He was not relishing the trip back to North Carolina alone. He didn't want to have to tell her that Dean was dead and he didn't want to lie to her about how it happened. But he would, if that's what Dean wanted. His brother had sold his soul, agreeing to spend eternity in Hell for Sam. The least he could do was follow Dean's wishes with regard to Kristine.

Suddenly overcome with emotion, Sam turned away and walked quickly out of the store.

--

Back at the estate, Dean carried a sleeping Nicholas inside with Alex taking some of their bags and following closely behind. He'd barely said anything at all while they were gone, and though he protested being tired, he decided to lie down next to Nicholas and was asleep before Dean got to the door.

Dean watched them for a moment, then made a stop in the bathroom where he found a couple ibuprofen. His shoulder was sore, but not like it had been the night before. He slipped his shirt off to look at the wound. The bandage was dry, but the bruising had spread, though it didn't look quite as vibrant as it had.

"How's it doing?" Sam asked, pausing on his way past the bathroom.

"Better."

"Want the bandage changed?"

Sam didn't wait for an answer. Once the wound was redressed, Sam announced he was going to take one of the books he'd purchased and read next to the pool. Dean decided to go in search of Kristine.

oooOOOooo

When Alex woke up, he was on his back and Nicholas' arm was draped over his chest. He carefully moved away so he wouldn't wake his brother and he got out of bed. He padded down the hall to the bathroom and when he got back to the bedroom, Nicholas had rolled over, but was still sleeping.

Alex sat on the rocking chair and watched his little brother. Nicholas had such a good time at the mall and Alex wished he could have let go enough to have fun, too. He was just so scared about what could happen – the vampires might come back like in Nicholas' dream or he might screw up and say something that would let Dean figure out who brought him and his brother to the estate. Alex didn't know how to protect his brother if either of those things happened.

He trusted Dean and Sam, but like Alex had said before, Dean couldn't always be around so it was up to him to figure out what was best for Nicholas. Alex's lower lip began to tremble and he felt the burn of the tears. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't. Nicholas could wake up and Alex had to be strong for him.

But he _wanted _to cry. He wanted to feel safe again.

Despite Alex's best efforts, the tears began to fall. He rushed out of the room and somehow managed to close the bathroom door without slamming it. He grabbed a towel and held it over his face, sinking to the floor as the tears turned to sobs.

Alex heard the knocking on the door as the tears subsided.

"Hold on," he said, jumping to his feet and wiping his face with the towel.

"It's me, Alex. I heard you. Let me in."

Alex closed his eyes. _Nicholas._

"Let me in!" Nicholas yelled and Alex thought he had kicked the door.

"I said hold _on!_" Alex said as he turned the water on.

"I heard you crying, Alex. Open the door now or I'm gonna get Dean.'

"No!" Alex spun around and opened the door. "Get in here!"

"Why were you crying?" Nicholas demanded.

"I wasn't."

"I _heard_ you, Alex. What's wrong?"

"You don't know what you heard," Alex protested as he pushed past Nicholas and walked down hallway.

"I do so!" Nicholas ran to catch up with his brother and grabbed his hand. "I do!"

Alex stopped walking and pushed Nicholas back against the wall. "You just keep your mouth shut, okay? It was nothing."

Nicholas looked at Alex, his eyes wide. Alex backed away. He hadn't intended to scare his brother. "I'm sorry, Nicky. Are you okay?"

"I heard you," he whispered.

Alex sighed and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Yeah, I was crying. But I'm okay, you understand? I just…."

"Are you scared of that man, Alex?"

"Don't talk about him."

"Why won't you tell Dean?"

"I said don't talk about him!" Alex said as he pulled away again. "Just listen to me, okay? I know what's best."

"Dean is bigger than you are," Nicholas said.

"Yeah, but I'm your big brother and you need to listen to me, okay?"

"You are scared, Alex. That's why you was crying."

"Don't tell Dean about that man, Nicky. And don't tell Sam or Kristine, either. Do you understand me?"

"But –"

"I said no!" Alex hissed. "And I mean it."

Alex heard Nicholas following after him as he ran down the stairs.

--

Alex didn't know why he was running, but he couldn't stop. He easily outdistanced Nicholas as his little brother called out for him. He raced out of the back door and across the lawn to the dirt road. He couldn't hear Nicholas any more and he didn't notice that Sam had been sitting outside when he ran past.

Alex ran until he couldn't go any further. He collapsed on the road and the dirt mixed with the tears that had begun to fall again. He didn't notice and wouldn't have cared anyway. He was curled up in a ball when Sam found him.

He didn't recognize Sam's voice and began to struggle when Sam pulled him into a sitting position. After a few moments, Sam had calmed him and he'd stopped fighting, but now was sitting. almost catatonic, against a tree trunk.

"Alex," Sam crouched in front of the boy and put a hand on his wrist. "Why did you run out of the house?"

Alex didn't respond and Sam tried a few more times, but to no avail.

"Alex!"

Sam glanced behind him as he heard Nicholas call out. The little boy rushed forward, practically throwing himself into his brother's lap.

"I thought I told you to stay at the house," Sam said; there was no anger in his voice.

Nicholas ignored him, all of his attention focused on his brother. Slowly, Alex seemed to notice Nicholas' presence and Sam moved a few steps away. Watching the interaction, Sam was struck by how much Nicholas and Alex were like him and his own brother.

There was no way that Sam could remember Dean's silence after their mother died, but he remembered others. Sometimes Dean would work himself out of it, but sometimes Sam intervened; just like Nicholas was doing for Alex now.

"You gotta tell, Alex," Sam heard the little boy whisper.

"Nicky, I –"

"You gotta."

Sam saw Alex look at his brother and though he couldn't see the younger one's face, Sam could imagine the pleading eyes and a moment later, he saw Alex's shoulders slump. Seemingly satisfied that he'd gotten his way, Nicholas moved off of Alex's lap and sat down next to him.

"Tell what?" Sam asked, moving back toward the boys.

Nicholas looked at him, but Alex's eyes were downcast.

"The man who brought us here…."Nicholas stopped speaking when Alex put his hand on his arm.

Sam sighed. "Okay, let's go find Dean."

--

After Sam had gone out to the pool to read, Dean went looking for Kristine. He'd found Ross in the kitchen, happily making preparations for the barbeque he'd decided to have for dinner, but Ross didn't know where Kristine was. Dean searched the most obvious locations in the house, but didn't find her.

After looking in some of the less obvious places, Dean thought she might have gone to her cottage. He realized that most of their time together since he'd gotten to the estate had also included the boys, but he felt a distance from Kristine that bothered him. He was also worried about how he'd found her that morning. He desperately hoped that she was not on a downslide.

Dean called Kristine's cell phone and when he thought it would go to voicemail, Kristine answered.

"Hey."

Her voice was soft and the tone did nothing to allay the worry that had begun to creep in.

"Where'd you go?" he asked lightly.

"I figured you'd be tied up with Alex for a while, so I took Ross' car and came home. I wanted to check on things."

"Alex crashed with Nicholas. You want some company?"

Dean didn't like the hesitation he sensed before she told him to come over. He was almost willing to give her an out and find something else to do, but he wanted to make sure she was okay. And as uncomfortable as it was to be with her and not tell her about his impending death, he really needed to be with her.

It wouldn't have taken long to walk the mile to the cottage, but Dean opted to drive. On the way, he decided it was time for a little maintenance on the Impala and that he'd get Alex to help with it. Alex's father had sold vintage cars and imparted a lot of mechanical knowledge on to the boy. The first real conversation Alex and Dean had shared was about the Impala's engine; Alex knew as much as Dean did.

The cottage Kristine had chosen to live in after her mother's death used to be where the estate caretaker would live with his family. That position had been eliminated before Kristine's parents took over ownership of the estate and the house had hardly been used for years before Kristine remodeled and moved in.

The estate still employed a small number of people and most of them knew about the supernatural and the true purpose of the main house. As far as the town was concerned, it was a mental health facility that Kristine had opened and if there were rumors contrary to that, they never reached Kristine's ears. At least as far as Dean knew. Kristine's family had been prominent in the town for generations and their influence reached the governor's office. She had relatives in Charlotte as well as Asheville and other towns scattered throughout the state; some knew the truth about what had happened in Mountain View.

The cottage was on an edge of the estate, less than a quarter mile from the town's aptly named Main Street. Dean parked next to Ross' car and noticed the curtains in the back of the house were closed. He thought that was unusual, especially if Kristine had really been on her way to work when she found out the boys were at the main house.

Normally, Kristine craved sunshine and light. She spent as much time outside as she could when the weather was good. She'd had a large deck built onto the back of the cottage and practically lived out there in the summer.

Dean walked across the deck and opened the back door. He called Kristine's name and heard her answer from the living room. As he walked through the kitchen, Dean noticed it was almost compulsively clean, which was its normal state when Kristine was okay.

"You want a beer?" Dean called as he made a stop at the refrigerator.

"Yeah, thanks."

Dean felt better when he saw that the big picture window in the living room was uncovered. Sunlight, filtered through the oak trees in the front of the house, streamed through it making the sparsely decorated room bright.

Kristine was curled up on the couch, but moved to lean against Dean when he sat down next to her. He opened one of the beer bottles and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"You weren't trying to hide from me, were you?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, that's why I answered the phone and told you were I was."

"No one likes a smart ass, Kristine."

"Aw, that's not true. I like you.'

Dean laughed and put an arm around her.

"Ross is in seventh heaven up at the house prepping for a barbeque."

"Yeah, I know," Kristine said. She took a long swallow from the beer. "He loves having people around to cook for. And I think he'd be thrilled if the boys stayed."

"That a possibility?"

"Dean…." Kristine sat up, but Dean gently pulled her back toward him. She didn't fight and let him put his arm around her again.

"I've known Ross for a while and don't really know his story," Dean said. "How'd he get involved with hunting?"

"His wife had been dead for about a year; car accident. He was visiting his daughter and her family. She was married and had two kids; a boy and a girl. They'd just moved into a new house and found some stuff in the basement that must have been left by the previous owners. Kids got a hold of an old Ouija board. Not the Parker Brothers kind, but a real one with some kick to it. They didn't know what it was; the adults thought it was just a toy. Anyway, a malevolent spirit came through and it wasn't good. Ross and his daughter were the only survivors, but hers was only physical. She spent the next year in a heavy-duty psychiatric hospital, but ended up committing suicide."

"That's awful," Dean said, holding Kristine more securely.

"Yeah. That was about 15 years ago. Ross ended up hunting for a while, but was better behind the lines than in the field."

"No wonder he likes having the boys around."

Kristine didn't say anything.

"Was whatever you came here to check on okay?" Dean asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah," Kristine answered as Dean felt her stiffen.

"Is everything okay, Kristine?"

Before she could answer, Dean's cell phone rang. He talked to Sam for a couple of minutes, then he and Kristine headed back to the main house.

--

"Hey, Nicholas, how about you and me go upstairs and get your swimming trunks on?" Ross suggested when Dean and Kristine walked into the room.

"But –"

"It's okay, Nicky. Go swim. I'll be out soon," Alex told him.

Nicholas slipped off of Sam's lap and left the room with Ross.

Alex looked down at the table once his brother was gone and didn't respond when Dean sat next to him and put a hand on his wrist.

"What's going on?" Dean asked. He glanced at Sam, who only shrugged. "Alex?"

When the boy still didn't respond, Kristine caught Sam's eye and motioned for him to walk out of the kitchen with her. They both exchanged a look with Dean on their way out.

"Okay, Alex," Dean said. "It's just you and me. What's going on? Sam said you ran out of the house and –"

"I'm scared, Dean."

"Tell me what you're scared of," Dean said gently. He moved his chair closer to the boy and put his arm around his shoulder. At first Dean felt Alex stiffen, but he quickly relaxed.

"Nicky says I have to tell."

"I think he's right, Alex. You know Sam and I can do all kinds of things, but not if we don't know what's going on."

"He threatened Nicholas, Dean."

"Who did, Alex? Who threatened him?"

"I already told you that. It was the man who brought us here."

"Alex," Dean paused, considering his words. "When Sam and I were little, our dad left us alone sometimes while he was hunting the monsters. I was older, so it was up to me to take care of my little brother. Our dad had taught me a lot, but it was still scary sometimes. I didn't always want to be in charge. Sometimes I'd lay awake in bed at night and….well, sometimes I cried because I just wanted someone to come and take care of us."

Alex looked at Dean, tears filling his eyes.

"I can take care of you, Alex," Dean said softly. "Both you and Nicholas. I promise."

Alex took a deep breath. "Nicholas was sleeping, but I was in the playroom. Me and some of the other guys were playing a racing video game and I was winning. But then the game stopped working and we couldn't fix it. None of the grown-ups were around and we just decided to go to bed."

"Is that when the man found you?"

Alex nodded.

Dean squeezed his wrist. "Go on."

"The other guys had rooms upstairs, but me and Nicky shared one on the first floor. I was going down the hall when he grabbed me and pulled me into one of the empty rooms. I wasn't scared at first. He said he wanted to get me and Nicky out of the house because something bad was going to happen. I thought about Nicky's dream; the one about the vampires."

"Had you seen this man before?"

Alex looked away.

"You can tell me."

"I knew better than to go with him," Alex continued quickly. "But he kept saying something was going to happen. I asked him about the other kids and he said he only cared about me and Nicky. It's my fault, Dean."

"What's your fault?"

"The house burned down because of me."

Dean was surprised. "You know about the fire?"

Alex nodded.

"We were in the car and I saw it through the back window. I begged the man to stop, but he wouldn't. He said if I didn't do what he told me, then something would happen to my brother. The fire was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," Dean said quickly. "Kristine talked to George; you know him, right?"

Alex nodded again.

"He told her that the fire was started accidentally. One of the new kids was a fire-starter. The people who ran the home didn't know he had the ability and he didn't know how to control it. It was an accident, Alex. But even if it wasn't, you did what the man told you to do. It wouldn't have been your fault, anyway."

Alex looked at Dean, his eyes full of hope.

"It wasn't your fault, Alex," Dean said again. "The kids have been relocated and they're going to rebuild the home. But you have to tell me….Do you know who the man is?"

"No," Alex whispered. "I never saw him before."

"You're lying!"

Dean and Alex turned around hearing Nicholas' unexpected outburst. He ran into the kitchen, wearing the swimming trunks Kristine had gotten for him at the mall. Ross came into the room behind him, an apologetic look on his face.

"You have to tell, Alex!" Nicholas said as he came to a stop next to his brother. "You _have _to."

"I'm handling this, Nicky," Alex whispered. "Go outside."

"No!"

"Listen to me," Alex began.

"Hold on, guys," Dean said. "Nicholas, what do you know?"

Dean saw the glare on Alex face, but pulled the smaller boy closer. "Nicholas?"

Nicholas looked at his brother as his lower lip began to tremble. "You have to tell, Alex. You _have _to."

Alex continued to glower at his brother and Alex shrunk back against Dean. He put both arms around the little boy, but looked at Alex.

"Alex," Nicholas whispered.

"He worked at the home," Alex said. He sounded defeated. "He did yard work and stuff."

"Do you know his name?"

"Jordan."

"You're doing the right thing, Alex," Dean said. "Is there anything else?"

Alex shook his head and Nicholas pulled away from Dean to hug his brother. At first Alex resisted him, but it didn't take long for him to give in.

"Come swimming with me, Alex. Please?"

"I'll be right there."

"Promise?"

Alex nodded. "I have to change. Go outside."

Once they were along again, Dean looked at Alex. "Is there really nothing else?"

"That's all I know. He said if I told, he'd hurt Nicholas. You have to protect him."

"I will, Alex. Go upstairs and change into your trunks."

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

oooOOOooo

_We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected_

Ben Okri

oooOOOooo

Kristine was on her cell phone in a corner of the den when Dean went looking for her and Sam.

"We heard everything," Sam assured him. "Kristine's talking to George right now."

Dean nodded and began to pace. Kristine had barely ended the call before Dean was demanding information.

"George has known Jordan for several years. He was completely shocked to find out he was the one who brought the boys here. He was on vacation the night of the fire. George has talked to him and –"

"I want to talk to the sonofabitch," Dean growled.

"Yeah, well, he's still out of town. George is going to get in touch with him now and call me back."

"It doesn't make sense that he'd threaten Alex to keep him quiet if he was trying to protect the boys," Sam said. "But if that's what happened, was he trying to protect them from the fire or something else?"

Kristine sat down on the couch. "According to George, Jordan is just a landscaper. He knows about the paranormal, but he's never been touched by it. I don't know these people personally, but people I do know trust them. The group home has a good reputation."

"Alex said the video game stopped working," Sam mused. "Did anything else stop working?"

Dean looked at him. "What are you thinking?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know."

"Sam."

"Maybe there was a demon involved," Sam said quietly.

Dean sat down quickly. "Shit."

"Why would a demon want to protect the boys? Why bring them here?" Kristine asked.

"You think Alex knows more than he's saying?" Sam wondered.

"I told you everything," Alex said as he walked into the room.

"Alex," Dean began quickly. "Did anything else stop working when your video game did?"

The boy looked confused. "Like what?"

"The lights or –"

"They blinked a few times," he said. "Why? What does that mean?"

"Did you hear anything strange?" Sam asked.

Alex shook his head. "What does it mean that the lights blinked?"

"We're just trying to get all the information we can," Dean told him. "Is there anything else you didn't mention? Even something really small that doesn't seem important?"

Alex shook his head again. He seemed scared. "I don't think so."

"Hey, you know what?" Kristine began. "Nicholas is waiting for you and Ross is gonna want to start the barbeque pretty soon. Why don't you go outside?"

He nodded and turned to Dean. "You promised."

"I know I did. I won't let you down."

Once Alex was gone, Dean looked at Kristine. "I want to talk to this George guy when he calls back."

"I'm not going to let you go off half-cocked."

"I mean it, Kristine."

"I'm going to talk to him first," she said.

"Fine," Dean said, his voice tight.

"Fine," Kristine agreed.

Sam cleared his throat. "I'm going outside with the kids."

--

It was an hour later when George called back. Dean and Kristine had gone outside, but they moved back into the kitchen to take the call. They didn't want to take the chance of the boys hearing and inside they could use the speaker phone.

George had spent quite a bit of time making calls trying to find Jordan when he didn't answer his phone. He finally managed to track down one of the buddies Jordan had supposedly gone fishing with, but found out Jordan had left the trip early. The friend had assumed he was back home taking care of some emergency.

George told Dean and Kristine that he'd gone to Jordan's apartment, but it didn't seem Jordan had been there for a while. Nothing had seemed amiss. By the time the call ended, Dean was fairly certain that George could be trusted, but he was even more certain that Jordan really had brought the boys to the estate. He didn't know if a demon was involved, or not, but he wanted to find Jordan.

"What if Sam was right," he asked, looking at Kristine. "What if Jordan was possessed?"

Kristine sat down next to him at the kitchen table. "Maybe that's why they got dropped off on the road. A demon wouldn't have been able to come near the house."

"Why would a demon want to protect them?" Dean asked.

"The threat still doesn't make sense," Kristine said. "Jordon or a demon….why bring them here to get them out of harm's way, but threaten them not to tell?"

Dean leaned back in the chair. He rolled his shoulder.

"You okay?" Kristine asked.

"It's just sore."

"You don't need a doctor?"

"No."

She nodded. "Okay. So…."

"Yeah, so," Dean sighed. "What if this didn't have anything to do with the fire? What if it's the vampires?"

"You think the boys were brought here to protect them from vampires?"

"It's another possibility," Dean said. "The fire could have been a coincidence."

"I didn't think you believed in coincidences."

"I don't usually." Dean stood up and began to pace again. "Damnit, Kristine. I promised those boys I'd look out for them."

"You have, Dean. You are."

"I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to be protecting them from."

"We'll figure it out. In the meantime, you _are_ protecting them."

Dean paused to look outside. Sam was standing in the shallow end of the pool while the boys splashed around him. He couldn't remember the last time Sam had even been in a pool. Sometimes the motels they stayed in as kids had them and Dean recalled one apartment complex they'd lived in that had one.

"You think, once we've figured this out, that it might be possible to find a family for them to live with?" he asked quietly.

Kristine joined him at the French doors. "I don't know. Maybe."

"I don't want them to grow up with nobody."

"Dean…."

"I'm gonna go out there. Maybe we can just have some fun tonight."

"Hey," Kristine took his hand. "We'll figure this out. It's gonna be okay."

He looked at her sadly. "If there's a demon involved…."

She reached up and touched his cheek. "It's gonna be okay."

--

It was hard for anyone to stay sullen when Nicholas was in a good mood and playing. Dean was glad to see that none of what had happened seemed to be affecting him too adversely. Nicholas even had a good affect on his brother and it wasn't easy to get the boys out of the pool to eat. As soon as they were given the okay after eating, the boys were back in the water and Nicholas was still insisting he wanted to play more even when he had to be carried upstairs because he was so tired.

Dean got them cleaned up and ready for bed by himself. He read Nicholas a story from one of Kristine's childhood books. Alex pretended not to be listening, but Dean could tell he was.

"Are you staying in the room next to us again?" Alex whispered after his brother had fallen asleep.

"Yeah," he said. "Sam is across the hall and there's so much protection around this place that nothing is going to get in. You're safe."

Alex looked at him. "I know."

--

When Dean went back downstairs, he found Ross and Sam bent over an old chessboard. It looked like Sam was winning, but there was a determined expression on Ross' face.

"Everything okay upstairs?" Kristine asked. She was stretched out on the couch and reached for the remote control to turn down the music that was coming from the stereo. She moved so that Dean could sit down, but she rested her head on a small pillow in his lap.

"Yeah." His head fell to the back of the couch.

"You okay?" she looked up at him.

"Frustrated," Dean said and absently caressed Kristine's hair. "I've been trying to figure this thing out and I just don't get it. We need to find Jordan."

"We're working on it," Kristine said. "I made some calls and George is doing what he can. I know you want to jump in the car, but there's nowhere to go yet."

"Does he have family?"

"No. At least none that he's close to."

Dean let out an irritated sigh. He glanced toward the chess table when Ross cursed loudly, seeing Sam had just scored a major advantage. The game would no doubt be over soon.

"George is getting in touch with other friends of Jordan's that he knows. We know what kind of car he drives and there are people on the look out for it."

"It all just seems to fucking _passive_. I don't like not having anything to do but sit around and wait."

"You're not just sitting and waiting. You're taking care of those boys. That's probably the most important thing you could be doing right now."

Dean looked down at Kristine, feeling very close to her at the moment. He heard another grumble come from Ross, but he didn't want to look away from Kristine. He was afraid the moment would be over too soon anyway and she'd go back to putting him at arm's length.

Dean felt the softness of Kristine's hair under his fingers and wished they were alone. He knew the suggestion of going somewhere else would break the spell, so he forced himself to be content with what he had. It wasn't so much that he wanted to have sex with her, though he certainly did. He could have sex with any woman, but it was only with Kristine that he felt true intimacy.

He saw tears well up in her eyes before she looked away. She didn't move from her position on the couch, but she reached for his hand and held it fast to her chest. He felt the wetness on her face as the tears began to spill and was confused when she didn't try to hide them from him.

Kristine stood up as a disagreement had broken out over the chessboard. She kept a hold of Dean's hand and he had no choice but to go with her. She led him to the deck outside, but dropped his hand as they passed through the doorway.

It was after 9:00 and the sun had mostly disappeared from the sky. There was no moon and a light covering of clouds was moving in. Dean felt a cool breeze on his skin, but paid no attention. The landscape lights around the pool weren't on and he was afraid if Kristine got too far ahead of him that he wouldn't be able to see where she was going.

"Hey," he said quietly as he caught her hand before she could descend the stairs to the lawn below. "What's wrong?"

She turned and without a word, wrapped her arms around him. He head rested against his chest and Dean readied himself for the worst. Waiting was not something he did well, but Dean had no choice. It was obvious that Kristine wasn't ready to talk yet, though he was fairly certain she had stopped crying.

"I know," she whispered.

Dean wasn't sure he'd heard her so much as he felt her speak. She pulled away slightly and looked up at him, her eyes still shining from the tears.

"I know what you did."

Dean felt ice in the pit of his stomach.

"How…?" His voice cracked.

"Demons talk. Hunters talk."

Dean was buoyed that Kristine kept physical contact with him. She didn't seem angry that she'd heard about the deal he'd made from elsewhere. He'd never considered that she'd hear it through the hunter grapevine that he still had so little experience with.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice still unsteady. He tried to pull away, but Kristine didn't let go. "How long have you known?"

She shrugged, smiling through the tears. "It doesn't matter. So, it's true? You made a deal with a crossroads demon?"

Dean nodded.

"Why?"

"I had to. For Sam."

"I don't understand."

It only now occurred to Dean that she might not know the whole story. With his own tears burning in his eyes, Dean told her about Sam dying in his arms and how he'd felt so lost and empty without his brother. But more than that, he'd failed in the one job that had ever meant anything to him; protecting Sam.

"So, you made the deal to bring him back?" Kristine asked.

Dean nodded.

"He knows?"

Dean nodded again.

"And you really only got a year?"

"Yeah. I guess there's not much of a market for my soul."

"Stop it," she said, though there was only sadness in her voice. "Don't you dare base your worth on what a fucking demon was willing to pay."

Dean expected her to pull away, but she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest again.

"You'll get out of it, right?"

"I can't."

He felt her stiffen. "If I try to get out if it, Sam dies."

"But –"

"That's not stopping him from looking for a way, though. But I'm not going to let him do anything that….Shit, like I could stop him. He's even been talking to a demon who told him she could help."

"What?" Kristine moved away again, but only enough to see his face.

Dean told her about Ruby and how Sam insisted that he didn't trust her, but seemed to be letting her lead him by the nose.

"Sam isn't stupid, Dean," she said. "He loves you, but he's not going to believe a demon without good reason."

Dean snorted. He wasn't so sure.

"How do you feel?"

There had been several minutes of silence and the suddenness of the question startled him.

"You know I'd do anything for Sammy."

"I know, but that isn't what I mean. Are you scared?"

"No."

Dean had given that answer many times, but it wasn't true. He wanted it to be, but in all honesty he had never been more scared in his life. He didn't regret what he'd done and if it would save Sam, he'd do it again in a second. But Hell wasn't a good place and it probably would be especially bad for a hunter.

As much as Dean tried not to think about it, he couldn't stop. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't afraid, but he was. He couldn't show fear in front of Sam, though. It wasn't just that he was the big brother, though that was a part of the reason. Sam already felt guilty enough about the choice that had fully been Dean's, and Dean refused to add to that with his own fear.

"You're lying."

It wasn't an accusation. Dean heard the words the same way he would have if Kristine had been looking at the grass and had said that it's green. She was putting her own fear and grief aside; giving him permission to be honest with her.

Dean often wondered what she was like with her clients and sometimes wished he could watch her work. Of course he couldn't, but he imagined that she was much the same way with them as she was with him. She was gentle when it was warranted, but she wasn't afraid to call bullshit.

Dean held her tighter, his cheek resting on the top of her head.

"It doesn't matter," he whispered. "It is what it is."

"It does matter, Dean. It matters to me and I know it matters to Sam."

"You know I can't tell Sam that I'm afraid."

"You don't think he already knows that, Dean?"

He didn't answer.

"You weren't going to tell me, were you?"

Again, Dean heard no accusation in her tone, but he didn't want to talk any more. He felt too comfortable in her arms and he just wanted to enjoy it for a while. Kristine seemed to understand and didn't push for an answer. Dean felt her relax even more against him; a hand caressed his back gently.

For one split second, Dean felt at peace. He was safe in the knowledge that Kristine wouldn't judge him and wouldn't push him into something he wasn't ready for. He was about to suggest they move to a more private location when Kristine's cell phone began to ring.

"I should have left it inside," she grumbled, making no move to answer it.

"It could be important."

Kristine took a step away and looked at the caller ID display before glancing at Dean. "It's George."

--

Ross, Sam and Dean sat in stunned silence when Kristine finished the summary of her phone call with George. It wasn't as if they hadn't been expecting the worst possible news, but it was never pleasant hearing that someone had died.

George had contacted nearly every connection at his disposal and one of them came across Jordan's car, completely by chance. After hearing the details, one of George's contacts happened into a rest stop along the highway in Alabama. He noticed a car that matched the description of Jordan's parked in a spot furthest from the facilities and he decided to look closer. At first he thought the person inside was only sleeping, but his instincts had told him otherwise.

"There's no clue to how he died?" Sam asked.

"Nothing obvious," Kristine said. "George told his guy to call the police, so there will be an autopsy."

"Was involving the police a good idea?" Ross wondered aloud.

Kristine shrugged. "Sometimes that's the most efficient way. George has already gotten a phone call from the Alabama authorities. They were calling people from Jordan's phone contact list. He kept with the truth so far as he could – Jordan was his employee and was supposedly on vacation. He told the cop about the call to Jordan's fishing buddy…."

"What about the condition of the car?" Sam asked.

"George's contact said there was sulfur in and around it."

"A demon," Ross shook his head sadly.

"So, he was possessed," Sam agreed.

"Looks that way," Dean said as he stood up and paced briefly. He leaned against the desk in a corner of the room. "So a demon was trying to protect the boys. From what? The fire? And why?"

"What about Nicholas' dreams?" Kristine ventured. "What if…."

"You think there's another demon like yellow eyes?" Sam asked, his voice raw.

"I don't know," she admitted.

The conversation was interrupted by a scream coming from upstairs. The four adults rushed to the stairs, but despite his brother's longer legs, Dean got to the bedroom first. Both boys were sitting up in bed and Alex was comforting his sobbing brother.

When Nicholas saw Dean, he practically leaped into his arms. With Alex moving to the edge of the bed, Dean sat down in the rocking chair and settled the little boy on his lap. It took quite a while to calm the little boy, but finally the sobs quieted and his thumb moved to his mouth as if on its own.

"What was the dream about?" Alex asked.

Dean could feel the little boy shaking and he knew it wasn't from cold. He held him more securely, but maneuvered him into a position where he could see his brother. Nicholas cowered against Dean, but a moment later managed to speak.

"They were here."

"Who?" Dean asked.

"The vampires."

"It was just a dream, Nicky," Alex told him.

"No!" Nicholas disagreed firmly, his thumb forgotten. "The vampires dreams are always true."

Dean exchanged a look with Alex, then turned back to Nicholas. "What do you mean?"

He sat up and wiped his tear streaked face. "I dreamed about them coming to our house."

"When?" Alex asked him. "You never told me."

Nicholas looked at his brother. "Before."

"Before Mom and Dad…."

Nicholas started to cry again and Dean quietly comforted him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alex asked, his anger tightly controlled. Dean recognized the signs; he'd seen the same thing in himself.

Nicholas didn't answer; instead he burrowed into Dean's arms and held onto him tightly.

"Nicky!" Alex stood up and despite a warning look from Dean, grabbed Nicholas. The little boy shrieked, holding fast to Dean's neck.

"Everyone settle down," Dean cautioned, looking at Alex. "Let's just talk about this."

At first it seemed that Alex had no intention of sitting back down, but he changed his mind when Nicholas whispered that everything was his fault.

"None of this is your fault," Dean said to him. "You're not doing anything."

"I didn't know what they was," Nicholas said, his head against Dean's shoulder. "I dreamed monsters broke into our house. I told Daddy and he said there was no such thing as monsters, but he was wrong."

Nicholas broke down into tears again and after a moment, Alex moved closer and put his hand on his brother's back. It took several minutes, but finally he managed to calm Nicholas again.

"What did you dream this time, Nicky?" Alex asked.

Nicholas looked at him.

"It's okay to tell," Alex promised.

Nicholas nodded and recounted in vivid detail what he'd dreamed. It chilled Dean, but he tried not to react. He knew Sam and the others were listening from the hallway and any action to be taken would be, so he concentrated on calming Nicholas and trying to get him back to sleep.

That proved to be no easy task, however, and it wasn't just Nicholas that was scared. Alex had been shaken learning that Nicholas had dreamed about the vampires before the attack. He was in no shape to help with his brother's fears.

Kristine brought them glasses of warm milk and with her help, Dean managed to get both boys relaxed enough to rest. They had been sharing one bed, although the room actually held two and Dean had to promise to sleep in the room with them.

--

Even though Ross was sure the house was completely protected, Nicholas' dream had been unsettling enough to make him tour it immediately looking for any weakness. It was a big house, though, and even with Sam's help it took a while. They went off in separate directions and met in the kitchen to compare notes.

Sam didn't expect Dean to be able to get away from the boys to help with the inspection, but he was surprised to learn from Kristine that he'd be sharing a room with them. Other than when he'd been at Stanford, Sam had shared a room with Dean. When they were very young, they often shared the same bed. It was already strange enough for him to sleep alone when they visited the estate, but knowing Dean was playing protector to two young boys made it just that much more strange for Sam.

He wasn't jealous of Nicholas and Alex; in fact he was happy to see his brother relating to them so well. It was obvious that Dean got some sort of enjoyment from the boys and Sam was not about to deny his brother any amount of happiness.

After Sam, Ross, and Kristine were satisfied that the house was safe for the night, they said their goodnights. Sam paused at the boys' room and seeing Dean was awake, he slipped through the open door.

"They asleep?" he whispered.

Dean nodded and motioned for him to go back into the hall. They sat down in the chairs at the end of the hall.

"Nicholas had a hell of a dream," Sam said.

Dean nodded. "You guys check out the house?"

"Yeah. It's safe, but I thought I'd do some research and –"

"And stay awake all night just in case something happens," Dean said knowingly.

Sam only shrugged.

"I can't believe vampires getting into the house," Dean ran a hand over his short hair. "But he dreamed about them killing their parents before it happened, so it's got to be a possibility."

"It's amazing you got them back to sleep."

"I didn't think I would; especially Alex. He's taking all this pretty hard."

"Reminds me of another big brother," Sam said. "Dean?"

Dean looked at him.

"I heard what you said to Alex. About when Dad used to leave us, I mean."

"Sam…."

"Look, if you want to pretend you said that just to make him feel better, I'll go along with it, but I know the truth."

"Come on, man."

"I just want to say….well, I mean…" Sam hesitated. "Look, I've always known it wasn't easy for you and after what you told me before –"

"Don't bring that up, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Okay. But…thank you."

Dean squared his shoulders. "You're welcome."

"That's why I want to do whatever I can to get you out of this deal, Dean. You've always taken care of me; even when you were scared. I just…I just want to do the same thing for you."

Dean cleared his throat. "You know I never regretted any of that, right?"

"I know that, Dean," Sam smiled at his brother. "I just wish –"

"Me, too, Sammy. But that's all in the past. Yeah, I used to get scared when Dad would leave us and sometimes I'd cry. I didn't make that up just for Alex's benefit. But…."

Sam looked at him, confused. "But what, Dean?"

He rubbed his face. "Some of it just kind of sucks, you know?"

"Yeah, it does."

Dean leaned over, his elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped between his knees. "I don't want those boys to grow up the way we did. I want them to have people there to look out for them all the time."

"I do, too."

"It wasn't all bad, Sammy," Dean said suddenly. "Right? I mean, we had some good times, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Sam said, his voice cracking. He looked at his brother. "You okay?"

"Kristine knows about the deal."

"You told her?"

Dean shook his head. "She's known for a while. She heard it through the grapevine."

"Is she mad?"

"No. She should be, but she isn't." Dean looked at him. "Hey, Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"If…if we don't find a way out of this deal, will you…will you keep in touch with her?"

Sam felt the tears stinging his eyes. "Of course."

Dean nodded.

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N: **I intended to post this yesterday, but real life got in the way. I hope you enjoy!

oooOOOooo

_I feel as if I were a piece in a game of chess, when my opponent says of it: That piece cannot be moved_

Soren Kierkegaard

oooOOOooo

The rest of the night passed without incident, but Dean didn't get much sleep and he doubted anyone else did either. He had a headache when he got up the next morning; he'd spent way too many hours contemplating their situation.

It didn't make sense that Jordan had been possessed when he took the boys, but that he was seemed to be an indisputable fact at this point. The same questions remained. Why would a demon want to protect the boys and from what? Did it have something to do with the fire at the group home or did it somehow involve the vampires? And were Nicholas' dreams like the ones Sam used to have? Were they related to the demon that brought them to the estate? And why had the demon killed Jordan?

Dean stood in the shower, enjoying the feel of the hot water and trying to figure out how to the get answers to all of the questions he had. As he toweled off, he decided that he needed to talk to George and find out more about the boy who had started the fire.

Dean was afraid of finding some connection between him and Nicholas; he didn't want their abilities to be related to the next generation of the yellow-eyed demon that had all but destroyed any chance at a normal life and happiness for the Winchesters.

On his way downstairs, Dean peeked into the occupied bedrooms. The boys were still fast asleep as was Kristine – he had the urge to slip into bed next to her, but decided she looked too comfortable. Besides, if he woke her up they might end up talking again and he just wasn't up to that yet. He wasn't surprised to find Sam's bed empty and found him where he expected to.

--

Sam looked up from the laptop he'd set up on the kitchen table when Dean walked into the room. His brother headed for the coffee before sitting down across from him. He couldn't help but notice how tired Dean looked and was sure they'd both been awake most of the night thinking about many of the same things.

Sam had started looking for odd occurrences near the group home that might point to demon activity. He also looked for stories from the fire-starter's home town; which was almost all they knew about him.

"How much sleep did you get?" Dean asked after a few sips of coffee.

"About as much as you."

Dean nodded.

"What are you looking for?"

"Signs of demonic activity around the group home."

"I want to talk to George," Dean said. "Get more information about the fire-starting kid."

"Yeah, I've been looking at things about his hometown, too."

"Find anything?"

Sam shrugged. "Not really. Everyone else still asleep?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised the kids slept through the rest of the night."

Sam looked at his brother as he leaned forward and rubbed his hand tiredly over his face. Dean always took their work seriously, but he especially hated it when bad things happened to kids. Sam knew Dean had bonded with these boys, especially Alex, who was so much like him. He was taking this job particularly serious and while Sam understood that, it also worried him.

Sam had every intention of finding a way out of the deal Dean had made with the crossroads demon, but there was a huge possibility that he would fail. The boys would take Dean's death very hard…Of course that would probably happen no matter what the outcome of this situation ended up to be. They were already attached to him.

It had been hard enough to think about how Kristine was going to handle Dean's death, but the thought of telling the kids was too overwhelming to think about. Sam turned his attention back to his brother.

"Hey, how's your shoulder doing?" he asked.

Dean looked at him, his expression almost surprised. "I guess it's okay. I haven't even thought about it."

"Do you still have a bandage on it?"

"No. I guess I did before my shower, but I honestly can't tell ya for sure."

Sam shook his head. It was so easy to get distracted, but he had to make sure Dean stayed healthy. He had precious little time with him as it was.

"Let me take a quick look," he said and moved closer to his brother. He expected Dean to fight him, but he willingly unbuttoned his shirt. "It looks a lot better. Probably should still be using the antibiotic cream, though. I'll go get it."

"Sam…."

He paused just before leaving the room and saw Dean shrug. "Thanks."

Sam nodded and continued upstairs.

--

It was later in the morning before Dean could make the phone call to George. When Sam came downstairs with the cream for Dean's shoulder, the boys were with him. Nicholas was a ball of energy in the way that only a four year old can manage, but as usual, his good mood affected everyone else.

Ross got everyone fed and enlisted the boys help for clean-up. Kristine had agreed to let them play in the pool for a while, so Dean took the opportunity of them being distracted to call George and what he found out bothered him almost as much as Nicholas' dream about vampires getting into the estate house.

He found Sam outside on the deck with his computer. Kristine was poolside watching the boys.

"What did George have to say?" Sam asked before Dean even sat down.

"Joey, the kid with the fire-starting ability? His parents were killed by vampires."

Sam sat back in his chair, thinking about this information. "The same ones, you think?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Probably?" Sam asked, looking at Dean.

He nodded grudgingly.

"What else did George say?"

Dean pushed a few pieces of paper across the table. "I made some notes. He told me a little bit more about the family, but he didn't know much. I thought maybe you could –"

"I'll see what I can find," Sam said, already turning his attention back to the computer.

--

By lunch time, Sam hadn't found anything that was particularly helpful and Dean was more than a little frustrated. He could do it, but Dean wasn't especially fond of research. He was as good at spotting patterns as Sam or their father, but he much preferred to shoot things. He often craved the action of a hunt, suffering through the beginning phases only because they were necessary.

Kristine managed to keep the boys occupied until they were ready to eat and Ross took over. Nicholas protested at first, but was convinced to take a nap once he'd finished eating. Alex stayed with him only until he'd fallen asleep, then left the room in search of Dean, finding him under the hood of the Impala.

"You wanna help?" Dean asked when he noticed Alex standing nearby. "I was going to change the oil."

"Yeah," the boy's eyes lit up.

Dean could remember more than one happy afternoon spent with his father working on the car and he was happy to pass on his extensive knowledge to anyone who wanted to learn. Dean honestly loved everything to do with cars. He poured over technical articles in car magazines, spent hours making sure the Impala was in perfect running condition, and painstakingly cared for the interior and exterior. But none of it seemed like work to him. When there was downtime, he spent time on the car as a way to relax.

Dean had expected Alex to look for him while his brother slept and had had no intention of doing the oil change without him. At first they worked in silence; Alex already had a good understanding of what needed to be done and they performed their duties as if they'd been doing it together for years. It was the same kind of camaraderie Dean had shared with his dad and he liked the feeling.

Sam appreciated the car for what it was – transportation. He understood Dean's obsession with it, but he didn't share it. Lately Sam had shown more interest in the maintenance only because Dean had pointed out that it would be up to him when Dean was gone.

Once the oil change and other preventative maintenance had been completed, Dean and Alex sat on a bench outside the detached garage where the estate vehicles were stored. They each had a can of soda, retrieved from the small refrigerator in the garage that was generally kept stocked, and were lost in their own thoughts.

Dean was thinking about his father as he often did when he'd finished work on the car. They shared many of the same interests, no doubt due to Dean's need to please his dad, but the car was something Dean truly found joy with. He'd officially become the owner on his 18th birthday when his dad had given it to him. He'd driven it almost exclusively for two years prior to that, though, but until that birthday, he'd always referred to it as _Dad's car_.

"Dean?" Alex brought Dean out of his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know Nicholas had dreamed about the vampires before they….before they broke into our house."

"I know," Dean said, not sure where the conversation was going.

"He's dreaming about them again."

"Yeah," Dean said, watching the emotions flash over the boy's profile.

"I know you said the house is safe, but….I don't know how to fight vampires."

Dean nodded and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He could see Alex's face a little better.

"They had self-defense classes at the group home and they taught us about fighting, but…."

"I can teach you, Alex," Dean assured him. "But I'm not going to lie to you. There are ways to get around it, but vampires are strong. It's not easy to beat them."

"It would be easier if I knew more," Alex said, looking at Dean straight-on.

Dean nodded. "Okay."

--

They were part-way through the lesson when Nicholas and Sam found them. Sam immediately recognized what they were doing – even before he knew the truth about what their dad did, Dean taught Sam self-defense techniques. He would pretend they were playing a game and it wasn't until years later that Sam figured out that they hadn't been. Even though Alex was well aware of the truth, Dean still seemed to be treating the lesson like a game and Nicholas was eager to join in.

--

"You find anything?" Dean asked as he and Sam strolled behind the boys back toward the house.

"No signs of demonic activity where the boy lived and as far as I can tell, no signs of vampires."

"Except for the kid's dead parents."

Sam nodded. "Except for that."

"No other victims?"

"It doesn't look like it. I even called the police and talked to the detective that investigated the parents' death," Sam glanced at Dean. "The official cause of death is animal attack."

"In their house?" Dean shook his head.

"How did the kid get to the group home?" Sam asked.

"A hunter heard about the attack and investigated. He found the kid – same story as Alex and Nicholas."

"Same hunter?"

Dean stopped walking. "I don't know."

Sam turned around to look at him. "Let's find out."

--

"How well do you know him?" Dean asked Kristine after he'd gotten off the phone with George.

Alex and Nicholas had been brought to the estate by a hunter she knew named Tom. George had confirmed the same man also dropped Joey off at the group home.

Kristine shrugged, reaching for the bottle of soda on the deck railing. "Not very. He's been here a few times, but I don't think I've ever used him for information. I'm sure I've never referred anyone to him."

"Do you think it's just a coincidence he found the kids after a vampire attack?"

"He hunts vampires. I mean, other stuff, too, but he kind of specializes."

"Do you know how to get in touch with him?"

"I'll check my book, but I wouldn't count on it."

Dean growled in frustration. Kristine walked past him; he glanced at Sam before following her into the house. She was already in the office and flipping through a binder when he caught up to her.

"I'd hate to think a hunter is involved in something….evil," she said, glancing at him.

"Not all hunters are good," Dean sighed. "And we still have no idea what's going on."

"He brought Alex and Nicholas here," Kristine said, still paging through the book. "He didn't know about the group home before that."

"None of this makes sense and I'm really getting tired of saying that," Dean sighed. "But we have quite a few consistencies between our boys and Joey."

Kristine looked at him. "Our boys?"

He shrugged. "You know what I mean."

Kristine went back to the book. There were no official records kept of who visited the estate and what services they used, but for those willing, Kristine collected contact information. She served as a point of communication for hunters looking for specific people or for generic assistance; much like Ellen Harvelle had with the Roadhouse before it was destroyed.

"He's not in here," Kristine said after a complete search. The records were organized and cross-referenced in several ways, but she'd been thorough.

"Damn. When was the last time he was here?"

"When he brought the boys."

Dean stood up and paced the small room.

"Do we know anything about the vampires?" Kristine asked. "Maybe we can track them."

Dean glanced at her, but kept moving. "Alex told me some things, but not enough to find the right vampires. George filled me in on what Joey told him, but…."

"What about other kids in the same situation? Maybe I can find something out about that and also put the word out for Tom to contact me."

"I don't know about that. What if Tom really is involved? It might not be smart – or safe – to let on that we're suspicious."

"That's a good point, but how else are we going to find him?"

Dean leaned back against the desk, next to Kristine. "How discrete can you be?"

"Please," Kristine rolled her eyes and picked up the telephone receiver next to her.

Dean watched as Kristine made a couple phone calls while the computer on her desk booted up. She used to be extremely self-conscious of the various scars that resulted from self-inflicted injuries, but after her last hospitalization, she'd become more used to them. She wasn't exactly comfortable about them, however, and had made the decision to undergo a small bit of plastic surgery to remove the worst of them. She'd started to wear long-sleeved shirts less often and while she still tried to discreetly cover what she could, she no longer obsessed about what they would make people think.

It wasn't that she cared so much out of vanity as respect for her family. When she was alive, her mother had never done anything to make Kristine feel guilty about her mental instability. On the contrary, she'd been as supportive as possible and always tried to make sure Kristine had the best care. But theirs was a prominent name in the area with many reasons to feel proud of their heritage and Kristine had always felt she let her family down by not being able to deal with what had happened to her sister better.

Today, Kristine was wearing a light t-shirt with sleeves that came down well past her elbows. Dean tried to remember what she'd worn the other days since his arrival, but wasn't sure. His attention was diverted by what looked like a fresh cut; he was able to see it clearly when she stretched toward the keyboard. Dean reached for her hand and pushed up the sleeve.

"What's this?" he asked.

Kristine looked at the inside of her arm, seemingly surprised by the cut. To Dean, it looked like the ones she used to give to herself.

"I don't know. It must have happened when I was running around with the kids."

"You're sure?"

She looked at him; there was no challenge in her eyes and no backing down. "I'm sure."

Dean didn't let go of her hand and he didn't look away.

"I'm sure," she said again.

Dean wanted to believe that Kristine was telling him the truth and he had no reason to think otherwise, but things just tended never to be that simple. He held onto her for another moment, then let go of her hand.

--

Dean got Sam up to speed on what he and Kristine had talked about inside and he went off to his room to see what he could find on his own. With the distraction of potential new information, no one had put Nicholas down for a nap and by late in the afternoon, he was tired and grumpy. Even Alex had no luck with him.

Ross fed them an early dinner, setting them up where they could also watch a movie. Nicholas was asleep on the couch before the halfway mark, but Alex finished watching it before he took his little brother upstairs. Kristine checked on them later, finding Nicholas sound asleep in one bed and Alex reading in the other. She knew it was the first night since they'd been at the estate that they'd been in separate beds.

"You okay?" she asked, taking a couple of steps into the room. "Do you need anything?"

Alex shook his head. "No, thanks."

"What are you reading?"

Alex showed her the book cover; she recognized it from the library downstairs. It was a fairly easy to read book about vampires. Her first instinct was to take it away from him, but there didn't seem to be a real reason to do that. He already knew more about them than most people ever would. He'd seen vampires kill his parents and he remembered what it was like for a vampire to feed on him. There was probably nothing in the book that could scare him after living through what he had.

"I got it from downstairs. I thought –"

She smiled at him. "It's okay. But if you read something that bothers you, you know you can talk to one of us about it, right?"

Alex nodded.

"What's going to happen to me and Nicky?" he asked after a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Will we go back to Atlanta?"

Kristine sat on the edge of the bed. "That's something I figured we'd talk about later. Do you mind staying here?"

"No, it's fun. But we can't stay here forever, can we?"

"It wouldn't be the best thing for you, I don't think. We usually have quite a few hunters roaming around. They come here sometimes just to rest, but sometimes they're sick. There aren't usually other kids here, either."

Alex closed the book and looked at her. "Where will we go?"

"The group home in Atlanta is going to be rebuilt. Going back there is one option."

"I don't know if I'd like that."

"Why?" Kristine asked.

Alex's brow furrowed as he thought about his answer. "It was okay. It was fun to have other kids around, but…."

"But what? Did something happen there? I mean, other than that last night?"

"No. But it was like being at school all the time."

Kristine thought she understood what Alex was trying to say. The group home was comfortable, but it wasn't home.

"Don't worry, Alex. I'm not going to just send you away once we've figured out what's going on. It's something we'll talk about."

Alex nodded, but Kristine saw the tears in his eyes. She wondered how much like Alex was like a young Dean; always trying to be more grown up than he was and shouldering the responsibility of a little brother. On the one hand, she knew she had to feed that side of Alex, but she also wanted to pull him onto her lap and rock him like she had Nicholas. Alex was still just a little boy, but he'd seen more in his ten years than anyone should.

Without any prompting, Alex started to talk about his family before the vampire attack. For half an hour he told her stories that ranged from heartbreaking to hilarious and she had to be careful not to laugh too loud and wake Nicholas. Finally, Alex seemed ready to sleep. He let her pull the covers up around him after he stretched out and she put the book on his nightstand.

"Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning," Kristine whispered. After a moment's hesitation, she bent down to kiss him on the forehead. She was rewarded with a smile before Alex quickly turned away and burrowed into the blanket.

oooOOOooo

Sam and Dean were in deep conversation when Kristine made her way back downstairs. She continued past the den and into the kitchen where she paused to get a beer from the refrigerator before settling on the deck outside.

She almost never slept at the estate house any more and even though it was so different now than when her mother had been alive, she still could feel her mother's presence. Sometimes it was unsettling, but other times it was comforting. She wasn't sure what she felt now.

Theirs had not been the perfect relationship, but Kristine had never doubted her mother's love. Julia Ryan just had had more in common with her older daughter; Lauren had been the perfect debutante who enjoyed shopping and all things feminine. Smart and a good student, Lauren had chosen to marry young and start a family rather than pursue educational opportunities, exactly as Julia had. Her father had died of a heart-attack when she was only ten; before her family was touched by the yellow-eyed demon.

Kristine had been more of a tomboy who preferred sports to shopping. The few people she could call friends while growing up were generally male Lauren had helped her become more of a social person and though she'd been two years older, she had never hesitated to take Kristine to parties and school events with her.

After Lauren's death at the hands of the demon, Kristine and her mother had made a concerted effort to strengthen their relationship. Her mother had never expected it of her, but Kristine had tried to become more like her sister so that she could help her mother with the family's obligations. It was a burden that Kristine had put on her own shoulders and it had probably contributed to her first breakdown.

It had been more than five years since Julia's death, but Kristine thought about her often. She was still referred to as _Julia's daughter_ in certain social circles and being the spitting image of her didn't help that. Kristine never minded being compared to her mother, though she often felt like she was a poor facsimile.

Movement from the corner of her eye caught Kristine's attention and she turned to look at the house. She saw Ross through the large window as he made his way to his bedroom and she idly wondered if Sam and Dean were still talking in the den.

Normally when Dean visited the estate, he slept in Kristine's bedroom at the cottage and they spent a lot of time together. Sam always tried to make himself scarce to give them privacy and often slept in the main house. This time, she and Dean had barely had any time together and it didn't seem like that was going to change. She didn't mind, exactly, because it was for a good cause. Two young boys needed their help and though it seemed like there wasn't much they could do at the moment, they were doing all that was possible.

Kristine shifted in the deck chair as her thoughts moved to the deal Dean had made with the crossroads demon. It had been heartbreaking to listen to Dean tell her about Sam dying in his arms after being stabbed by Jake. It didn't surprise her that Dean had taken such radical action as trading his own soul for his brother's life. It just didn't seem possible that this visit would most likely be his last to the estate and that she would never see him again.

She couldn't help but wonder how Sam would handle his brother's death. Just knowing it was looming out there was probably painful enough for him. Dean had been there for Sam's entire life and even when he was away at school and the brothers weren't speaking, there had been a bond. She knew that just by looking at them, but she'd also spent a lot of time talking to Dean and Sam about it. Sam had a genuine interest in psychology and often engaged Kristine on the subject of human behavior; often their conversations turned more personal. Kristine knew she would have to keep the door open for Sam if they couldn't find a way out of the deal. She didn't want to lose contact with him and knew they would be able to help each other through it.

Kristine let her eyes close as a cool breeze wafted over her. She was probably more relaxed than she had a right to be, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't often that the house was so quiet and…normal. There were usually hunters around who weren't always the most genteel of people. Kristine often found herself slamming down shots of tequila with the best of them and not necessarily having to behave with much decorum. It wasn't exactly a party atmosphere most of the time, but nothing even vaguely resembling a home.

When Dean was there, she felt different. She had never deluded herself into thinking they'd ever get married and live happily ever after, but she liked having him around. She liked everything from the sound of his voice to the way a room felt when he was in it. He exuded confidence and even though she knew the estate was protected by various supernatural means, she always felt safer with Dean. She knew he didn't trust many people and that he talked openly with even fewer. She liked the feeling it gave her to know that she was one of those few.

He had sex with other women; she knew that even though they never talked about it, but she also knew that she had a piece of him that no other woman ever would. Her life would be immeasurably more empty without Dean in it.

Dean had asked her about the possibility of the boys staying with her indefinitely and though she loved the fantasy of that idea, it would not be good for any of them. It had little to do with the hunters who used the main house; the cottage would be their home. There was a good school in Mountain Ridge and it was a great place to raise kids. But Kristine wasn't at all confident she would be a good role model for them in the long term.

Her thoughts were interrupted by something she couldn't identify. There had been no noise and she'd seen nothing, but something had changed just the same. Her eyes opened and she scanned the tree line without moving, but it was too dark to make anything out. She made a mental note to check the timer that the landscape lights were on, but that wouldn't help her now. Kristine felt a shiver run up her back when she realized the constant chirp of the crickets had quieted.

Something moved at the edge of her peripheral vision and she turned her head in that direction, but saw nothing. Kristine stood quickly, but she had only gotten a few steps from the chair when something grabbed her.

There was little chance he would hear her from well within the house, but Kristine called out for Dean as she tried to fight off the attacker behind her. She felt herself being lifted off the ground as a hand covered her mouth. Kristine looked up to a second floor window when she heard Nicholas screaming and a moment later she saw Sam and Dean running toward the French doors that led to the deck.

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N:** My beta is almost caught up with me, so I thought I'd post an extra chapter tonight.

oooOOOooo

_The brave die never, though they sleep in dust:  
Their courage nerves a thousand living men.  
_

Minot J. Savage

oooOOOooo

Kristine and the attacker were on the lawn by the time Sam and Dean made it outside with their weapons. He was holding her directly in front of him, blocking any shot either of the brothers might have.

"Let her go!" Dean bellowed, holding his rifle steady even though he couldn't use it.

"I don't think so, hunter."

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance.

"Don't look so surprised. You think you operate in a vacuum?"

"What do you want?" Dean asked, his voice angry but firm.

"What makes you think I don't already have what I want?"

Dean said nothing. He saw the fear in Kristine's eyes, but she also looked determined. She pulled as far away as she could when the assailant leaned close. There was a visible shudder when he ran his tongue up the side of her face.

"Leave her alone," Dean barked. He glanced at Sam, who only shook his head, a helpless expression on his face.

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

"Kill you."

He looked at Dean and smiled, prominently displaying a set of fangs.

"Sonofa –"

"Language!" The vampire laughed.

"Just tell us what you want."

The vampire took a few steps back, dragging Kristine with him.

"What do I want," he mused, nuzzling Kristine's neck. "Hmmm…."

"Look you bastard! Just leave her alone!" Dean moved, hoping to find a shot where there wasn't one. He saw Sam from the corner of his eye, doing the same thing.

The vampire straightened. "Fine. What I want is….Nicholas."

"No." Dean didn't even hesitate. He saw agreement in Kristine's eyes.

"Really?" the vampire smiled.

Dean couldn't see what the monster did, but Kristine cried out in pain. He took a few steps forward, but stopped when he saw the vampire sniff at her neck. He knew the thing couldn't feed on her without risk of him or Sam being able to get to him, but it could still hurt her.

"What do you want with the boy?" Dean demanded.

"That's none of your concern."

"That's not for you to decide," Dean said.

Dean caught movement behind the vampire and when he chanced a better look, he saw that Ross was coming up from behind it. Hoping he hadn't given anything away, Dean looked back to the vampire. He heard a soft whimper from Kristine as it drew two smalls drop of blood from her neck then leaned close to smell of it.

Ross was fast for his age and rushed forward to douse the vampire in what Dean knew had to be holy water. It cried out and writhed in pain, shoving Kristine to the ground. Dean pulled the trigger on the rifle knowing his bullet would only cause minor – and temporary – damage, but he had to gain the upper hand. At the sound of the gunshot, Kristine rolled further away from the vampire. It sunk to the ground and Dean continued to fill it with bullets.

Ross tried to stab it with a wooden stake, but even though injured, the vampire was still too fast for him. It stood up and with what appeared to be little effort, shoved the elderly man aside. Ross fell roughly into a bunch of rose bushes; there was a loud crashing sound as he hit the wall behind the plants.

Kristine scrambled to her feet, but the vampire pulled her back down before she could get more than a step away. Both Sam and Dean had to take time to reload. Able to do it with his eyes closed, Dean only glanced at his gun for a moment; he looked up sharply hearing an agonized scream from the vampire.

He couldn't see who it was, but someone had stabbed it in the back. The long wooded stake had gone clear though and was protruding from the vampire's chest.

"Get in the house," the newcomer yelled. Dean rushed forward to help Kristine and Sam went for Ross.

--

"It's okay, Nicky," Alex said as he rocked his brother. They were barricaded in the bathroom; there were no windows and the only way in or out was the door. "This isn't like your dream, right? Sam and Dean will be here soon."

"It had Kristine," Nicholas said through his tears.

"She'll be okay," Alex assured Nicholas, hoping she would be.

Both brothers looked toward the door when they heard Dean's voice calling for them.

"No," Nicholas whispered. "It could be a trick."

Dean called them again and Alex pulled himself away from Nicholas to open the door. He threw himself into Dean's arms and Nicholas didn't hesitate long before doing the same thing.

"You two okay?" Dean asked, collapsing onto the floor with the boys.

Neither boy answered; Dean held them securely.

"Is Kristine okay?" Nicholas asked a few moments, his voice shaking.

"Yeah," Dean said, hoping that was the truth.

At Kristine's insistence, he'd left her and Ross in the kitchen to check on the boys. He knew that Sam had followed him upstairs to quickly check the area, but he didn't like the idea of Kristine and Ross alone downstairs. He had no idea who had come to their aid and wasn't sure how badly either Kristine or Ross had been hurt. Kristine had been able to walk, though she leaned heavily on him as they walked up the stairs of the deck. Dean had seen Sam all but carrying Ross.

"How did you know what was going on outside?" Dean asked Nicholas. It had been his yell that alerted him and Sam to the situation.

Nicholas looked to his brother before answering. "I dreamed it."

Dean pulled both boys even closer.

--

Sam toured the upstairs quickly before making his way to the kitchen using a back set of stairs. Ross was still lying on the floor where Sam had left him before following his brother. Kristine was sitting on the floor near him, with a watchful eye, and the stranger was examining him. Sam caught her eye and she nodded.

Still on alert, but a little more at ease, Sam crouched in front of her. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," her eyes were back on Ross.

Sam looked at the small wounds on her neck. There was a little blood, but nothing that worried him too much.

"He needs a doctor," the newcomer said.

Sam got a better look at this face when he turned to look at Kristine. It was Tom, the hunter who had brought Alex and Nicholas to the estate the year before.

Kristine moved closer to Ross and took his hand. Sam could tell he was unconscious.

"I think we should call an ambulance. I don't want to risk moving him," Tom said quietly.

Everyone in the room knew it could be dangerous for a hunter to get officials involved, but there were times when it was necessary. And Sam knew how well connected Kristine was within the community. If something needed to go away, she could make it happen.

"Sam?" Kristine didn't turn her eyes away from Ross.

Sam laid a hand on her shoulder, then stood up and used the house phone to call for an ambulance. He'd just hung up when he saw Dean coming into the room with the boys. He shot his brother a warning glance, but it was too late to redirect the boys' movement.

Alex moved to a spot behind Dean and Nicholas held onto his leg. Dean picked the little boy up and with a hand on Alex's shoulder, walked to the table. A few steps away, Sam quickly explained the situation in a whisper and then Dean went to Kristine.

Sam sat down at the table with the boys; Nicholas quickly left his own chair and climbed into his lap. He did what he could to distract them, but Sam had been in similar situations and knew it was useless. He thought back to the first time he'd seen his dad hurt. It hadn't been a bad injury; just a deep cut on his arm, but Sam had only been seven or eight at the time and he could still remember how scared he'd been. He'd watched his brother help their father clean the cut and bandage it. Since then, Sam had seen much worse, but the first time tended to come to his mind the most often.

--

Somehow, Dean had managed to hold his tongue while they'd been waiting for the ambulance. He'd wanted to demand answers from Tom, but his first concern had been for Ross and Kristine. He wasn't good at waiting, though, and there was nothing to do while the doctors cared for Ross.

"You want to tell us what's going on?" Dean looked at Tom as they sat in the waiting room. Kristine's hand felt limp in his own.

"I'm not sure this is the place."

"Why not? There's no one else here. We have the time."

Tom sighed. "All right."

He stood up and walked around the small room for a moment, ending up back in the same chair. He leaned forward.

"I've been tracking the vampires that killed Alex and Nicholas' parents. I didn't have enough information then, but I finally picked up a pattern. The same vampires, more or less, go into a town and kill the parents of some targeted kid. All the kids are about the same age and have some kind of ability."

"Like Joey, the fire-starting kid you took to the group home," Dean said. "You might have mentioned that little fact to them, by the way."

Tom looked stricken. "I didn't know. They don't always exhibit their ability before the vampires attack. Sometimes it happens a few weeks or even months later."

"How many kids have there been?"

"Fifteen or so," Tom said. "Most of them have no other family, but some do."

"How many did you take to the group home?"

"Just Joey. There's another place like it in Arizona and I've taken three kids there. I don't always get to the town in time to get the kids and once they're in the system, it's too hard to get them out."

"What do the vampires want with Nicholas?"

Tom shrugged. "I don't know what they want with any of the kids."

Dean glanced at Kristine, but he couldn't tell if she was even listening to the conversation. He looked back to Tom.

"You know how the boys got here?"

"I assumed they were brought back here after the fire. I know they've managed to relocate the kids temporarily."

Dean shook his head and told Tom about Jordan and their suspicion that he had been possessed. Tom's eyes widened as he listened to the theory and then he shook his head.

"I know about your brother," he said. "And the kids like him, but….a _demon_ protecting Nicholas? I don't get it."

Dean shrugged. "Neither do we. What else do you know about these vampires?"

"Nothing, really. I've just been following them and trying to figure out how to get ahead of them."

Dean wasn't convinced, but a doctor walked into the room before he could say anything else.

--

Dean walked into Ross' room after spending some time on the phone with Sam. He stood just inside the door, watching as Kristine sat at Ross' bedside with her hand covering his. The second time he'd been thrown, Ross had sustained some injuries and while none of them were necessarily life-threatening, he was not a young man any more. The doctor was worried about him being unconscious and hadn't been able to ascertain the extent of damage to his head.

Dean walked up behind Kristine and put a hand on her shoulder. She leaned against him.

"Things okay at home?" she asked in a quiet tone.

"Yeah. The boys are asleep. I put Sam back into research mode with the stuff Tom told us."

"Where is Tom?"

"He's still in the waiting room. He plans to stick around for a while."

Dean felt her nod.

"You okay?" Dean asked after a moment.

"Sure. Why not?" She sounded sarcastic.

He crouched next to her. "Kristine."

She sighed and looked at him. "I'm as okay as I'm gonna get for a while."

"How does your neck feel?" Dean asked as he looked at the bruising that had already formed. Her hair didn't come anywhere close to covering it and Dean was sure the doctor or nurses had seen the two small wounds.

"It's okay," she touched it absently as her eyes went back to Ross. "You don't have to stay here, you know. Why don't you go back to the estate?"

"I'll stay. Sam's got everything under control there."

"He shouldn't have done it," Kristine said after a long silence, her eyes on Ross.

Dean knew there was nothing he could say. He moved a chair closer to her and held her hand. He had no idea how long it had been, but it had been long enough that when a warning on Ross' monitor began to sound, it was all the more startling. Ross' body had begun to seize and it didn't take long for two nurses to rush into the room. Dean pulled a numb Kristine away while other medical personnel moved into the room.

They stood across the hall. Dean put his arms around Kristine and she leaned her head against his chest. Tom came from the waiting room, though he stood a respectable distance away. It was half an hour before anyone came to speak with them.

--

Sam was still working on his computer when Dean and Kristine got back to the main house. He saw Kristine's tear-streaked face and knew that the news was not good. She walked past him to the staircase without a word. Sam looked at his brother and his expression was no less somber.

"Ross is dead."

Sam closed his eyes for a moment. "I didn't think the injuries were that serious."

"They weren't, but he had a heart attack. They couldn't bring him back," Dean said quietly as he glanced at the boys, still sound asleep on the couch.

Sam stood up and led his brother to the kitchen. Dean sat down at the table while Sam got two beers from the refrigerator.

"Kristine gonna be okay?" Sam asked as she sat across from Dean.

"I don't know. She didn't say anything on the drive home. She handled the paperwork and other stuff like a pro, then just shut down."

"Where's Tom?"

As if he'd heard them talking, Tom came through the back door carrying a duffle bag. Dean told him which room to take and he quickly left the brothers alone.

"You find anything?" Dean asked.

"Just confirmation of what Tom told you; nothing new."

"Vampires going after kids and a demon supposedly protecting at least one of them. What the hell, Sam?"

"I don't know," Sam was miserable.

They sat quietly, drinking their beer without really tasting it.

"Help me get the boys back to bed," Sam finally said. "Let's just start fresh tomorrow."

They put the boys into the same bed; Alex woke up briefly, but Sam didn't think he'd even remember in the morning. He volunteered to sleep in the second bed so that Dean could be with Kristine.

--

Dean found Kristine standing in her bedroom, staring out of the window. He stood next to her and glanced out of the window knowing that she was probably staring at the rose garden. He turned her away from the window and she leaned against him. With his arms around him, she began to cry quietly.

"I'm sorry, Kristine."

"Don't talk," she whispered.

Dean rested his cheek against her hair. After a while, he led her to the bed and gently pushed her down. He took off her shoes and dropped them onto the floor before slipping into bed next to her. She lay with her back to him, but Dean put his arms around her and pulled her close. Eventually he felt the even breathing and he knew she'd fallen asleep.

oooOOOooo

Kristine slipped out of bed before the sun was up. Dean moved, but didn't wake up. She took a shower and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt before heading downstairs, making a mental note to get some more clothes from the cottage. She made coffee, but couldn't stay in the kitchen. That had always been Ross' territory and she just wasn't comfortable there yet. She was sitting on the couch in the den when Nicholas came bounding into the room. She could tell he'd been crying.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, holding out her arms.

Nicholas scrambled onto her lap. "It's my fault."

"What's your fault, baby?"

"I dreamed it."

"You dreamed what?"

"About the vampires coming here."

"You told us about the vampires coming here."

"Last night I dreamed the vampire would get you," Nicholas started to cry again.

"Nothing here is your fault," Kristine whispered to him. "If you hadn't had that dream and called for Sam and Dean when you did, that vampire probably would have hurt me."

Nicholas touched the two small holes on her neck. "He did hurt you."

"You saved me, Nicholas." She held his hand.

"I did?" Nicholas sounded scared.

"Yes, you did," Kristine hugged him. "Thank you."

They sat quietly for a few minutes. "Have you had any other dreams? Any you haven't told us about?"

Nicholas shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"Kristine?" Nicholas asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Why do the vampires want me? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," Kristine assured him. "And the vampires may want you, but they aren't going to get you."

"Is it cuz I dream things that come true?"

"Sweetie, I don't know why the vampires want you. But listen to me," she moved him so that she could look into his eyes. "They are not going to get you."

"Ross isn't coming back is he?"

Kristine wasn't expecting that question and tears burned her eyes. "No."

"Like my mommy and daddy."

"Yeah."

"I didn't dream that part."

"Do you want to talk about the dream?" Kristine asked as she fought back the tears.

Nicholas shook his head, suddenly looking older than his four years. "No, thank you."

Kristine couldn't help but smile.

--

Kristine watched as Nicholas poured cereal into a bowl and helped him with the milk before they settled in the dining room. Kristine couldn't even remember the last time the room had been used for a meal. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with anything this morning and even though she could tell that Nicholas was sad, there was something about being around that little boy that made her feel better.

"Hey, guys," Dean said as he walked into the room. "How long have you been up?"

"Not that long," Kristine said. "I'm still on my first cup of coffee."

"Everything okay?" he looked at Kristine.

"We're all right. We've been talking."

"Oh yeah?" Dean sat down at the table. "What about?"

"Ross," Nicholas said without hesitation.

Dean looked at Kristine.

"He figured it out on his own," she said.

"Is Alex still sleeping?" Nicholas asked as he finished the last of his cereal.

"It looked like it," Dean said.

Nicholas looked disappointed. "Can I play with the video game in the den?"

"Of course. You know how to get it all turned on?" Kristine asked him.

"Yup," he slid off of his chair and scampered out of the room.

Kristine smiled slightly as she watched him leave. She shook her head and looked at Dean. "He's such a great kid. He seems so unaffected by everything that's going on."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "The advantage of being four, I guess. So, how are you really?"

Kristine shrugged. "I've lost a lot of people. I loved Ross, but he's just another in a long, long line."

The fact that Dean would also soon be gone was not lost on her, but Kristine was doing her best not to think about that. She wanted to talk to him about it again, but there had been so much going on, giving her and Dean little time alone.

Kristine wasn't feeling quite as blasé about Ross' death as she was pretending and she was pretty sure Dean could see through her, but she hoped he didn't push her. She just wanted to get through the next few hours. Ross had a sister living in California and Kristine had to get in touch with her. They'd never met, but she was aware of what Ross' life was like in North Carolina.

Kristine knew that Ross had left explicit instructions that he should be cremated upon his death and he'd made the arrangements with the local funeral home several years before. He'd wanted it done quickly, but he had friends in town who would appreciate a memorial service and Kristine knew she would have to plan it.

There were also the boys to take care of and the great big mystery surrounding Nicholas and the vampires' desire for him and the other children who apparently had abilities. Not to mention improving the security around the estate. The house was not a concern and although it wasn't possible to completely protect the outdoors, Kristine wondered if they might be able to extend it to the deck. In the meantime, everyone would just have to be inside after dark.

She rubbed her face and looked at Dean. His expression was so soft and full of concern that it made her want to cry. Kristine knew that he was letting her take the lead, but wouldn't hesitate to pull her back if he thought she needed the support. She'd give anything just to spend the day in his arms and forget everything that was happening.

_TBC_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

oooOOOooo

_The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.__  
_John Vance Cheney

_When we suffer anguish we return to early childhood because that is the period in which we first learnt to suffer the experience of total loss. It was more than that. It was the period in which we suffered more total losses than in all the rest of our life put together._

John Berger

oooOOOooo

As the others made their way downstairs, Kristine left them to their own devices so that she could make the necessary phone calls. The first call was to Elaine, Ross's sister, and while it was difficult to tell her the news, the woman took it well enough. Once she expressed interest in helping to plan and attending the service, Kristine offered to fly her into town.

Kristine's next call was to the local funeral home. She was assured that Ross' instructions would be followed to the letter and she made an appointment for late the next afternoon to discuss the few details that were left to decide.

She talked to her supervisor at the Asheville clinic and he agreed to let her take a few more days off. He was well aware of her mental health problems and while he'd never been touched by the supernatural himself, he knew the truth. He was generally as accommodating as he could be when it came to Kristine's "other life" as he often called it. He didn't exactly understand what she did, but he seemed to understand its importance.

The last calls she made were to Ross' friends in town. She also got in touch with the hunters he had a special relationship with. Kristine was exhausted when she was finished and not really in the mood to be social, but she made her way to the den and was surprised to find no one there. Similarly there was no one in the kitchen, nor around the pool. Finally, she found Sam in the library.

"Hey," she said. "Where is everyone?"

Sam looked up from his computer, his expression one of sympathy and discomfort.

"Oh, hi. I, uh, Dean took the kids into town and Tom is in his room. I, uh, I'm sorry about Ross."

She nodded. "Me, too. Have you found out anything or gotten anything else out of Tom?"

Sam looked embarrassed and closed the lid of his laptop. "I've been playing Solitaire for a while."

Kristine laughed and sat down on the couch. Sam joined her.

"I talked to Tom earlier and did some crosschecking. He's been following this same group of vampires for a while and their only victims are parents of kids with abilities. Nicholas and Alex were the first and he stumbled on a pattern from there. There have been about 15 kids and only some of them he's been able to get to safe houses. Others either get sucked into the foster care system or they live with other family members."

Kristine nodded. "I remember him telling Dean that last night. And he didn't know about the demon that brought the boys here."

"Yeah. I've made some phone calls and done some reading. As far as I can tell, Nicholas and Alex are the only kids the demon has been in contact with. There's no way to tell if it's watching other kids, though."

Kristine pulled her legs up under her and looked at Sam. "How do you feel about these young kids with abilities?"

Sam shrugged. "People have abilities without them being related to a demon."

"True. But it was a demon that brought the boys here."

Sam sighed. "Yeah. I just hope it's not a whole new generation."

"But the demon seemed to be helping."

"For what, though?"

Kristine sighed. "Beats the hell out of me. What else do we know?"

"That's about it. I know where most of the kids are. I guess we can set something up to keep an eye on them and see what happens as time goes on. I just don't know that there's an answer we'll be able to find any time soon."

"You think Tom is trustworthy?"

Sam looked thoughtful. "As far as I can tell. What are you thinking?"

"I don't know. It's just a vibe."

Sam cocked his head curiously, but Kristine waved him off. "I'm probably just being paranoid."

"Sometimes a little paranoia is a good thing."

Kristine considered that. "Could be. What if he's lying about not knowing about the demon?"

"What if?" Sam asked.

"Could he be working with it?"

"For what purpose? Besides, the demon brought the kids here. Seems maybe we should be more interested in the vampires."

Kristine touched her neck.

"You okay?" Sam asked after a moment.

"You guys wouldn't have known anything was going on if Nicholas hadn't had that dream. That just kinda creeps me out a little bit."

"Bobby knows a lot about protection. You mind if I talk to him about it? Maybe we can do something to bring it up a notch."

"Bobby? No, of course not. But," Kristine began before he could stand up. "Can I talk to you about something first?"

"Sure. What?"

"The deal Dean made with the crossroads demon."

Kristine saw the blood drain from Sam's face and a moment later he looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. He seemed at least ten years younger all of a sudden.

"I know you're trying to find a way to get him out of it," she said, watching Sam's face closely. "But if you don't…."

Sam looked away.

"Look, Sam, I just want you to know that no matter what, you are always welcome here. I don't like the idea of you out there by yourself if….if you can't stop the deal. And I know Dean isn't going to sit around and wait for it to happen, so most likely you two will be somewhere working on some job. Just…just consider coming back here for a while or go to Bobby's. I just….I don't know," Kristine shrugged.

"You won't hate me if I can't stop it?" Sam asked quietly, still looking away from her.

"Of course not. Sam, Dean made that deal all on his own," Kristine saw the tension in just his profile. "Sam?"

With what seemed to be great effort, Sam turned his head.

"It won't be your fault. He made a deal with a demon. You can't just break those."

Sam smiled sadly. "He did it for me. He's going to Hell and it's my fault."

"Oh, Sam. No, that's not true. It's not your fault." Kristine knew trying to convince him of that would be impossible, but she couldn't just let his statement stand. "You know Dean. You know there's nothing he wouldn't do and…he couldn't live without you."

"But I have to live without him?"

Kristine saw tears in his eyes and reached out to lay a gentle hand on his arm. "He thinks you're stronger than he is."

Sam looked at her, surprised. "That's what he said to me, but I'm not. And I've seen what happens without him."

"What?" Kristine didn't understand.

Sam shook his head. "Nothing. I just…never mind."

Sam suddenly stood up and announced he was going to call Bobby. He was out of the room before Kristine could say another word.

oooOOOooo

There were things that Kristine could have done around the house, but she just didn't feel like being productive. A few calls came into the estate as news about Ross' death apparently began filtering out into the hunter community. That was the word that always came to Kristine's mind, but calling it a community was rather generous. Hunters tended not to gather. There were small pockets that worked together and could be considered friends, then larger groups that had contact information for each other and would help out if necessary, but it was nothing like a club.

In between phone calls, Kristine lay on the couch in the den with music playing. She kept a pad of paper and a pen nearby so she could make notes about things she had to take care of as she thought about them. Based on the phone calls she'd answered, there was going to be a fair number of people in town for Ross' memorial service and she'd have to make sure things were in place for that. She decided it would be best to move the boys to the cottage to keep them out of the fray as much as possible. There was enough room for Sam and Dean, too, but she would have to get a few things organized there before any of them moved.

After indulging in another few minutes of near inactivity, Kristine picked up the phone to call Dean. He answered his cell on the third ring and she immediately recognized the background noise. They were in the small arcade that was at the ice cream shop on the aptly named Main Street.

"Hey," he said. "How ya doin'?"

"I'm okay. Thanks for taking the boys out and keeping them entertained. Are you out of quarters yet?"

She heard Dean laugh. "Not quite. These games are more expensive then when I used to play. You get all the phone calls made?"

"Yeah, I did. We've got hunters coming for the service, so I was thinking we could move down to the cottage tomorrow or the next day. I arranged for a room at the inn for Ross's sister. She may know what he did, but that doesn't mean she's going to be comfortable around a bunch of hunters."

"That's a good idea."

"I'm gonna head down to the cottage now and get some stuff ready."

"Let Sam know where you'll be."

"I'm a big girl," Kristine said only because she assumed it was expected.

"Let Sam know," Dean insisted.

"Okay. When are you coming back?"

"Probably in the next hour or so. Why don't you wait and I'll help with whatever needs to be done at the cottage?"

"I'm restless; I'll just get started. There's not much."

"And you'll let know Sam you're leaving?"

"Yes, I said I would."

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea to walk through the woods right now; even in the daytime Maybe you should drive."

"Yeah; good idea. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Kristine?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know. I just….I'm just really sorry all this is happening."

"So am I," she said, feeling her resolve starting to falter. "I'll talk to you later."

Kristine hung up before Dean could respond. After collecting herself again, she went upstairs to find Sam. They spoke for a few minutes about Bobby's ideas for new ways to protect the property. Kristine listened, but couldn't have repeated back anything Sam had said if she'd had to. She had faith in him and Bobby; they could set up pretty much whatever they wanted to as far as she was concerned.

Sam offered to go with her to the cottage, but she declined. It didn't take long to drive the mile, but long enough that she'd lost the little bit of energy she'd had. There really wasn't much to do, anyway. She'd put the boys in the second floor guest room because it was bigger; Sam could use the small one off the kitchen. Kristine used it mainly for storage, but there was at least a bed in it. She started with that room and after getting it into a more hospitable condition, Kristine got a soda from the refrigerator and sat down on the deck off the back of the house.

She knew that vampires weren't particularly in danger from the sun, as the popular myth went, but they did tend to sleep during the day. She knew that Dean would not approve of the chance she was taking, but she didn't go back inside right away.

Kristine's thoughts were all over the place for a while, but settled on Dean. She'd loved Ross, but at least he'd lived a long life. He'd suffered a lot of tragedy, but there had been a lot of happy years, too. Dean had grown up as a hunter, his life all but destroyed when he was only four years old. He'd sacrificed so much for his family and had even been willing to give up his soul for his brother. Dean didn't deserve to die and he really didn't deserve to go to Hell. He'd certainly done more good than bad in his life and that should count for something; it was damned unfair that it was meaningless.

She didn't want to lose Dean on top of everyone else, but that's not what she was thinking about at the moment. Hell was bad enough, but she couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like for a hunter. How many of the demons he'd sent back to Hell would be there waiting for him; waiting for their turn to inflict pain on him?

Kristine knew why he'd done it. She understood his devotion to Sam and she understood what kind of a man Dean was. What she didn't know was how Sam would react if they couldn't find a way out of the deal. She wondered what he'd meant when he said he'd seen what life would be like without Dean, but decided that was probably not something he would share with her. She didn't expect him to come back to the estate after Dean died; at least not right away. She didn't like the idea that she may never see him again, though. He was like family to her and she'd lost enough family.

The empty soda can was blown off the table by a gust of warm breeze. Kristine bent to pick it up and decided to go inside. She didn't know when Dean's deal came due and wasn't sure she wanted to know. But one thing she was sure about was that she wanted a couple of uninterrupted days with him before the Hell Hounds came.

--

"How are things going here?" Dean asked Sam later after he'd gotten home with the boys.

Sam shrugged and looked up from the book he'd been reading. "Quiet. Tom has been in his room most of the day and Kristine is at the cottage. I've done all I can with the information we have."

Dean nodded. Neither one of them liked so much inactivity on a job, but it happened that way sometimes.

"Have you talked to Kristine at all?" Dean asked after a moment.

"Some. Why?" Sam had no intention of telling him about the conversation they'd had.

"Did she seem okay to you?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Are you worried she's going to slip again?"

"I'm always worried about that."

Sam looked at his brother as he paced, seemingly too restless to sit down. He knew how much Dean cared about Kristine, but it still always surprised him to actually see it.

"Hey," Sam said. "Why don't you go down to the cottage and spend some time with her? I can take care of the kids and even get them dinner later."

"You sure?"

"Sure; don't worry about it."

Dean nodded and headed toward the door, then turned around. "Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam put his book aside, seeing his brother's obvious discomfort.

"I, uh," Dean looked around the room, wiping his hands nervously on his jeans.

"What's going on, man?" Sam asked.

"You okay?"

Sam was surprised. "Me? Yeah; why?"

"I don't know. I guess….We're usually together almost every hour of the day, but since we've been here…."

"I'm okay," Sam assured him. "You?"

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Look, uh, thanks for hanging out here and doing all the research. I mean, I know that's your usual gig and all, but –"

"Dean, what's going on? You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dean said and sat down next to Sam. "I guess there's just more downtime on this job than I like."

"This isn't just a job, man. I know how you feel about those kids," Sam looked at him. "And Kristine."

"You know, I never saw myself settling down and having a family, but…." Dean looked away. "But the last few days? Being here with Kristine and the boys…You know, without the vampire attack, this is how you and I should have grown up.'

"Dean…."

"I know there were good times. And I saw what it might have been like if we'd grown up with Mom and Dad. We –"

"That was one possible life based on what the djinn pulled out of your head. I wish you had a better opinion of yourself," Sam hesitated. "I wish you could see yourself the way I do.'

Dean leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees. He looked at Sam. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "For the millionth time. Now go see Kristine. I've got the kids."

"Thanks, Sam."

Sam watched Dean walk out of the room. He had no idea what had brought on that conversation and wasn't even sure that anything had been settled. Sam knew Dean better than anyone, but that didn't mean his brother didn't still confuse him sometimes.

--

Dean took the advice he'd given Kristine and drove to the cottage, but it wasn't a long enough drive to change his mood. He was on edge, though it didn't have anything to do with the vampires or Nicholas' dreams. He couldn't really pin down the cause of his anxiety; he'd tried to verbalize it to Sam, but he'd only managed to confuse himself and probably worry his brother.

Dean parked in back of the house and walked through the kitchen door calling for Kristine. She responded from the second floor and just coming out of the guest room when Dean reached the top of the stairs.

They were alone; really alone for the first time since he and Sam had gotten into town. Dean hesitated only a moment before rushing toward her. Without a word, he threw his arms around her and kissed her. At first she didn't respond, but it didn't take long before she wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss enthusiastically.

Dean pushed her backward as they ripped at each other's clothes, barely making it to the bed. It was quick and rough; full of primal desire. It wasn't about pleasing each other; both took what they wanted. When it was over, though, Dean lay with his arms protectively around Kristine. She rested her head on his chest, getting as close to him as he could.

She listened to his heartbeat while gently rubbing his chest. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't sleeping.

"Are you scared?" she asked after several minutes of comfortable silence.

His eyes opened slightly and he looked at her without moving, but he didn't say anything. She felt the change in his breathing and the quickening of his heartbeat, but yet he still seemed to be relaxed.

"I know you're scared," Kristine said. "And you haven't talked to Sam about it, have you?"

"I really don't want to talk about my brother while I'm laying here naked with you." Dean's arm tightened around her.

Kristine lifted her head up slightly and looked at Dean's wounded shoulder. The bruising had faded and the wound looked to be healing well. She turned her eyes to Dean's face and he closed his eyes. She caressed his cheek.

"Don't," Dean whispered.

"What?"

Dean shook his head, his eyes still closed. Kristine laid her head back on his chest.

"When I first started hearing the rumors, I didn't doubt them for a second," Kristine said, her voice soft. "I didn't have the whole story, but it sounded like something you'd do. And I knew you'd done it for someone else; figured it was Sam."

Dean's skin began to grow cold under her touch.

"It must have been awful for you; him dying in your arms that way. You must have felt lost and alone." Kristine intentionally kept her voice soft, her tone gentle. "You probably felt like you'd failed him."

"Stop," Dean said with very little conviction.

Kristine knew if he really wanted to stop her, he'd get out of bed. Instead he was pulling her even closer.

"You probably didn't even put a whole lot of thought into what you were doing. It was for Sam, so it didn't matter what happened to you. I know he's trying to find a way out of it. Are you helping him?"

"Yes," Dean's voice cracked. "I am now."

"You weren't before?"

"If I cheat my way out, Sam dies. At first…."

"At first what?"

"That's all I thought about. And I thought I wanted to die."

"Why?" Kristine asked and felt Dean stiffen.

"I just….I felt dead inside already. I miss my dad, but I've gotten so mad at him since he died. I remember things….I started to wonder if he ever loved me or if it was always about protecting Sam."

"Do you still wonder?"

"Sometimes. But it doesn't matter any more. I mean, I can believe whatever I want to, right? Fact is, though, I've given everything for my family. I never deserved what my dad put on me. Whether he loved me or not….He's gone and it's just me and Sam. And I know how Sam feels. I don't wanna die. I don't want to spend eternity in Hell. I don't regret bringing Sam back, but I don't wanna go to Hell."

Kristine tried to turn so that she could see Dean's face, but he held her down.

"Thing is, we haven't found anything to help. Sam thought this demon chick could help, but she can't."

"You know that for sure?"

"Yeah. Well, as sure as I can be. She told me she couldn't help, but that she wanted my help to toughen Sam up. She wants him ready to fight the battle without me."

"Why would she want that?"

"She said she remembers what it was like to be human."

Kristine thought about that for a few minutes and she felt Dean start to relax again.

"I am scared," he whispered, then rested his cheek against her head. "But I don't want Sam to know how scared."

"Dean, he –"

"He already feels guilty. He blames himself. I can't put more pressure on him, Kristine. I can't."

Kristine could do nothing but hold Dean. There were no words she could say that would make anything better for him. She wasn't sure she could speak without starting to cry, anyway.

Their second time was more gentle; more about each other and less about pure need. Afterward, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

oooOOOooo

Sam had volunteered to get dinner for the boys before giving it a lot of thought. He'd learned to cook some basic things before going to college and Jessica had taught him a few more skills while they lived together, but most of the meals in his life had been from a diner or a fast food restaurant. He stood in front of the large, commercial refrigerator trying to figure out what he could make when Tom walked into the kitchen.

"You want to eat with me and the kids?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Unless you're making vegetables. I don't like vegetables."

Sam heard the humor in Tom's voice and smiled. "I have no idea what to make. I'm not exactly a gourmet."

"Why don't we order pizza? It won't be dark for a few hours yet; should be safe for a delivery guy to get here. Is there a delivery guy?

Sam considered that for a moment, then closed the refrigerator. "Good idea. There's one place in town that will deliver."

--

Tom had spent part of the day making phone calls and after Sam ordered the food, they sat at the table and went over his notes. Sam knew the more information they had, the better, but there was such as thing as overload. They had a lot of data, but none of it seemed to be fitting together or leading to an answer. Sam couldn't help but wonder if there was something obvious he was missing, though he had no idea what that might be.

He thought they were probably at the beginning of a mystery that wouldn't be solved easily. And as much as he wanted to help the boys, he knew that he and Dean couldn't stay in North Carolina forever. He still had work to do to find a way out of Dean's deal, though he was becoming less hopeful that he would be successful.

Bobby would be in town soon and maybe a fresh set of eyes would see something he had missed. In the meantime, there was nothing to do but keep trying to figure things out and do what he could to help in caring for the boys.

After the pizza was delivered, Sam pulled the boys away from the video game in the den. Alex had reverted back to being very quiet, but he seemed to enjoy playing with his brother. Sam wondered how many times Dean had taken solace spending time with him when they were kids. He knew it wasn't his fault, but Sam still couldn't help feeling a little guilty about the life they'd led.

Dean had had so much responsibility heaped on him at too young an age and Sam knew he resented some of it. Somehow, though Dean never seemed to resent him and that was something Sam would always be grateful for.

Dean had told him about the fantasy the djinn had created for him. Their mom was alive, but their dad had died of a stroke. Instead of the close relationship the brothers shared now, they'd been distant and that Dean had done things to Sam the real one never would. It had bothered him that Dean's own fantasy would paint such a bad picture of him, but it didn't surprise him. Sam had known for some time that Dean didn't think much of himself and that was one reason he'd sold his soul to bring Sam back from the dead. Sam had always been more important to Dean than he'd been to himself.

Sam understood their father better now than he had when the man was alive, but what he'd done to Dean was something Sam would never comprehend. Sometimes it seemed like they'd led two different childhoods and when Sam really thought about it, he realized he'd been blissfully ignorant for a lot of years. It had always just been easier to hide behind his brother. Even though he'd fought with their dad and pretended he was independent, Sam now realized that it had been Dean's protection that had allowed him to do that.

Sam forced his thoughts away from his brother and to the boys in front of him. Nicholas had tomato sauce all over his face and he was rambling, unaware that no one seemed to be listening to him. Nicholas didn't answer his questions or respond to his comments in any way, but that didn't deter the little boy from talking.

Alex seemed not to even hear his little brother and Sam noticed he'd not eaten anything yet. He was picking toppings off his pizza and laying them neatly on his plate.

"Not hungry, Alex?" Sam asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Alex only shrugged.

"Do you want something else?"

"No, thank you."

Sam exchanged a look with Tom.

"You like pizza," Nicholas said.

"Wipe your mouth," Alex grumbled.

"You should eat."

"I said wipe your mouth!"

Nicholas reached for a napkin, unaffected by his brother's angry voice. "You're a jerk sometimes."

"Yeah, whatever," Alex stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'll go check on him," Sam said and stood up.

"He's scared," Nicholas said nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah?" Sam looked at him.

The little boy shrugged. "He's tries to be all tough, but he's just a kid like me."

Sam smiled to himself.

--

Alex figured someone would come after him and that he'd probably be in trouble, but he didn't care. He was tired of pretending that things were okay. In just over a year he'd lost his parents to vampires – vampires! – and moved to a place where he didn't know anyone. But he got used to the home in Atlanta only to have it burn down because of a kid who could start fires with his mind. He and Nicholas were saved from that by something Sam and Dean thought was a demon. The same vampires as before were after his brother and on top of all that, Nicholas had started dreaming things that came true.

He thought he was entitled to a little anger.

"Hey," Sam said and sat next to Alex. He was on the couch in the den with a game controller in his hand. The game he'd been playing with Nicholas earlier was still paused. He only glanced at Sam.

"There's a lot going on, huh?"

Alex said nothing.

"Some of it probably seems pretty overwhelming."

"You gonna yell at me for leaving the table?"

Sam cocked his head. "No."

"Then can you leave me alone?"

"Yeah, sure. But I want to say something first."

Alex sighed loudly. He rolled his eyes and looked at Sam. Sam recognized it for what it was; an act. It was amazing how similar Alex was to Dean.

"Look, I know there's a lot going on. And I know we don't have all the answers yet, but we'll get them. And we'll stop it."

"Will you stop my brother's dreams?"

Sam glanced away for a moment. "Look, it could be that Nicholas will have these dreams forever, but we know people who can tech him how to deal with them and use them to his advantage. They don't have to turn out to be a bad thing."

The boy seemed to consider Sam's words.

"Where are we gonna live, Sam? Me and Nicky? Where are we gonna live?"

"I….I don't know, Alex. But you're here for now because we can protect you here. We'll find a good place for you to live when it's time."

Alex nodded and Sam watched him for a moment.

"There's a lot of pizza in the kitchen."

Alex made no move to stand up.

"Okay. I'll wrap up a couple of pieces for you in case you're hungry later." After another moment with no response from Alex, Sam stood up and left him with his thoughts.

--

Alex's mood lightened a little, but as the sun began to set he grew quiet again. Despite his mood, he helped Nicholas with his bath and then the boys settled in their bedroom. Sam sat with them as Alex read to his brother, but once they were both sleeping, he started for the stairs.

Something caught his eye as he passed a window in the hallway and when he stopped to get a closer look, he suddenly grew cold.

"Oh, crap," he said to himself. After a moment, he hurried downstairs where he found Tom with a small arsenal on the kitchen table.

"You take a look outside lately?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Tom continued to check the weapons. "All this shit? What we need is a goddanm Super-Soaker filled with holy water."

"I'm gonna call down to the cottage and make sure things there are okay."

"Good idea," Tom agreed.

Sam already had the house phone in his hand.

--

Dean's eyes opened and he gradually realized he was awake. He noticed it was almost dark outside and glanced at the bedside clock; it was just after 9pm. He idly wondered how Sam was faring with the boys, but wasn't quite coherent enough to do more than that. He looked at Kristine; she was on her side with his back to him, curled up around her pillow. He wanted to touch her, but didn't want to wake her. He was contemplating getting out of bed when the phone began to ring.

Kristine muttered something in her sleep and Dean reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

"We got trouble."

Dean sat up. "Sam? What's wrong?"

"The house is surrounded by vampires."

"Hold on," Dean shook Kristine and got out of bed. He glanced out of the bedroom window. "Sonofa….here, too."

"Please tell me Kristine has weapons over there."

"Yeah, she does. Holy water, too, I hope. I'm gonna try to get to you."

"No, Dean. That's crazy. Just stay where you are."

"Sam, I –"

"We don't know how many there are. Judging by the ones I can see, I can tell you there's no way you're gonna get past them. Just hold tight there until morning."

"I don't like this, Sammy."

"I know; neither do I. Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, sure," Dean said without conviction. "I'll call you back in a few minutes, okay? Get your crap together over there."

"You, too, Dean."

Dean hesitated. "Sam, I…."

"Yeah, me, too."

Dean put the cordless receiver back into the base and grabbed his jeans from the floor.

"What's going on?" Kristine asked, fully awake.

"Vampires. They're surrounding the main house and looks like we got our fair share here."

"Shit," she tossed the covers aside and dressed quickly. "There are a couple guns in the closet and some stuff downstairs."

"Any holy water?"

"Some. I've got a rosary."

Dean grabbed the guns from the closet and inspected them. He held out his hand to Kristine. "Come on, we've got work to do."

Twenty minutes later they had fortified the room that could be defended the easiest. Dean and Kristine each had weapons within reach and there was a supply of fresh Holy Water nearby as well. Kristine had put out a call to hunters who might be in the area, but she didn't think enough of them were close enough to be of any help.

Dean dialed Sam's cell phone number as he stood behind the curtain of the upstairs room, looking outside. It was more than a little disconcerting that the vampires were just standing there, not moving and staring at the house with dead eyes.

"Hey," Sam answered.

"You guys okay?"

"Yeah. They haven't made a move for the house." You?"

"Same here. They're not just going to spend the night outside. They're going to try to get into the house to get Nicholas."

"That's what I figure. Nicholas didn't dream this, I guess."

"Guess not."

"Maybe that's because nothing happens."

"You really think that?" Dean asked.

"I'm hoping."

"Where are the boys now?"

"Still in their room. They're sleeping. Tom's in there with them now; keeping watch out the window."

"Where are you?"

"Roaming from window to window."

"Maybe you should settle in one place."

"I will."

Dean heard Kristine's cell phone start to ring and glanced at her as she took the call.

"You got enough supplies?" he asked Sam.

"Kristine wouldn't happen to have any dead man's blood here, would she?"

"Don't think I didn't ask, but no. Why? You got an idea?"

"No." Dean heard the frustration in his brother's voice. "And if I did, it wouldn't matter without the blood."

"Keep it together, Sammy," Dean warned.

"I'm fine," Sam assured him. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I'll call again in fifteen minutes," Dean told him. "Keep your eyes open."

When Dean ended his call, he turned to Kristine. She seemed to be listening to the caller intensely and he didn't want to distract her. The expression her face worried him, though.

--

Sam went back to the boys' bedroom, surprised they were still asleep. There was no noise in the house to wake them, but with him and Tom wandering in and out of their room, Sam would have thought they might have sensed something.

He thought it was odd that Nicholas hadn't dreamed about this latest encounter with the vampires, but he dreamed the previous attack right before it happened. It was possible he'd wake up any moment from a nightmare.

He and Dean had fought separately before, but they were more effective together. Sam wished they weren't separated now, but there was nothing to do about it. He hoped he'd convinced Dean not to try to make it to the main house.

"Everything okay at the cottage?" Tom whispered as Sam took up a position on the other side of the window.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Same as here; vampires are just watching."

"It's really starting to freak me out."

"Maybe that's all they're going to try to do."

"We're way the hell outnumbered. I hope that's all they're going to try."

"Doesn't make sense, though."

Sam sighed in agreement as he glanced at the boys. They were still asleep. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Assuming it was Dean, he headed to the hallway and answered without looking at the caller ID display.

--

"Kristine?" Dean prompted once she'd finished her call. She looked at him blankly. "What's wrong? Who was that?"

"It was George," Kristine said. "Joey, the little boy who started the fire at the home? He's gone."

"Gone?"

She nodded. "He was placed with a couple; the guy actively hunts and she does the research and information relay thing. A guy showed up at their place and said he was Joey's uncle. They wanted proof….They're all pretty sure that the guy came back and took him."

"Any idea who the guy was?"

Kristine shook her head.

Dean growled to himself. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I don't know. Is everything under control at the main house?"

"So far, so good." Dean went back to looking out the window.

"What's the plan here, Dean?"

"There's no way we can fight our way through all those vampires. I hate to say it, but I think all we can do is defend ourselves if they try to come in," he looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I haven't had a lot of experience fighting vampires."

"It's close combat. Blades or stakes."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"The house is protected."

"Yeah."

Dean put his arm on the small of her back when she moved close to him.

"They're creepy. They're just standing there," she commented. "Shit, I think I saw this in a movie once, but it wasn't vampires."

"Homeless people."

She looked at him.

"It was called _Prince of Darkness_."

"Oh yeah. John Carpenter. I don't wanna do that."

Dean rubbed her back. "Neither do I. I'm gonna call Sam; let him know about Joey."

--

Sam hadn't been off the phone for long when it vibrated again. Dean started talking as soon as Sam answered. He listened without interrupting, but was still thinking about the call he'd just been on.

"Wait, what?" Sam asked when he realized Dean had stopped talking. "Someone took Joey?"

"Yeah."

"You think it was it a vampire?"

"I have no idea. Everything okay over there?"

"Except for still being surrounded by vampires."

"Yeah."

Sam knew Dean was nervous and probably feeling guilty that he was at the cottage and not the main house. He also knew there was nothing he could say to make Dean feel any better. And though Sam was as capable in battle as Dean, he would have preferred to have his brother at his back.

"Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't get mad, but –"

"I don't like it when you start off that way."

"Yeah, well….I got a phone call."

"From?"

"Ruby."

"Sam!"

"I said don't get mad. She knows what's going on here."

"Gee, what a surprise. And let me guess; she can help. Come on, Sam."

"It's not like she hasn't saved our asses before." Sam heard his brother let out a long breath. "Come on, Dean."

"What is she planning to do?" Dean asked, clearly not happy about the situation.

"I'm not sure. She just said to sit tight."

"Swell."

"Dean."

"Come on, Sam. She's a demon. You want me to be happy about this?"

"Well, no, I guess not. But….'

"But what, Sam?"

"I don't know," Sam was exasperated.

"Why did she call? Why didn't she just show up like she always does?" Dean wondered, still sounding angry.

"I don't know," Sam said again.

"All right, fine. If she can help get us out of this one, I'm not going to turn down the help, but I still don't –"

"Dean." Sam had moved to his bedroom and was looking out of the window when movement caught his eye.

"What?"

"There's something going on outside."

'What is it?"

"Oh, crap. The vampires are moving. They're getting closer to the house."

"Sam…."

"I'll call you back."

_TBC_


	7. Chapter 7

The Job is Never Done

Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N**: Yeah, it's kind of a baby chapter, but I wanted to get ya past the little cliffhanger in the last chapter.

oooOOOooo

_When we are afraid we ought not to occupy ourselves with endeavoring to prove that there is no danger, but in strengthening ourselves to go on in spite of the danger_

Mark Rutherford

oooOOOooo

"Sam!" Dean yelled into the phone even though he knew Sam had ended the call. "Damnit!"

Dean looked out of the window; nothing had changed. He began to pace angrily, gripping his phone tightly.

"What's wrong?" Kristine asked.

"Sam said the vampires are moving. Damnit, I hate this."

Kristine turned toward the window.

"You see anything?" Dean grumbled.

"No, they haven't moved."

Dean felt her eyes on him, but he couldn't make himself look at her. There was nothing she could say to him that would make him feel any better. His brother was only a mile away, but Dean couldn't get to him. There were vampires moving toward him and there wasn't a damn thing Dean could do about it.

He slammed his hand against the wall. He was smart enough not to use his fist since he might need his hand soon. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kristine jump at the sound even though she'd been watching him.

"I hate this!" he yelled.

Kristine said nothing.

Five minutes passed. Dean continued to pace while Kristine kept an eye out of the window.

Then another five minutes.

And another.

Dean felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin. He'd dialed Sam's number a few minutes before, but the call went to voice mail. Dean was more than nervous and he felt sick at the idea of the main house being overrun by vampires while he stood by and did nothing. It didn't matter that taking one step out of the cottage would mean certain death.

"Dean, I –" Kristine stopped speaking when Dean looked at her. He could only imagine what his expression said and though he didn't really care at the moment, he knew that Kristine would understand. He heard her clear her throat, but his phone began to ring before she said anything else.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"You all right? What's going on?"

"I'm okay. I'm almost there."

"Almost here? What?" Dean rushed to the nearest window from where he could see the dirt road.

"Just be ready to go out the back door."

"Sam…."

"Trust me, Dean. See ya in a second."

The call ended and Dean yelled for Kristine. He quickly told her what he knew as he grabbed her hand and led her to the back door. They each had a gun and holy water. The gun wouldn't stop the vampires, but might slow them down.

Within moments the sound of an engine could be heard, but it was quickly drowned out by the vampires' wails. While Dean and Kristine watched from the window of the back door, the vampires began to cover their ears and cry out, seemingly in pain. Some of them dropped to their knees. An old gray van pulled up close to the back door. Dean saw Sam wave to them as the side door of the vehicle opened.

Dean opened the door. "Go! I've got your back."

Kristine didn't hesitate. She ran across the deck and down the stairs with Dean close on her heels. Sam didn't wait for the door to close all the way before he stepped on the gas. Dean fell into the bench seat next to Kristine as the van sped off. He glanced around and saw that the boys were in the seat behind them and Tom was riding next to Sam.

"What's going on? What made the vampires do that?" Dean asked. He stared at Ruby who was sitting next to Alex.

"Everyone needs a little help from their friends now and then," she smiled.

"Let's talk about this later," Sam suggested.

Dean sat sideways in the seat and reached out for Alex. His arm was around Nicholas, who was pressed into his brother's side, and their eyes were wide. "You two okay?"

Alex nodded, but Nicholas didn't move. Dean nudged Kristine with his foot and she turned around to talk to the boys.

"Where are we going?" Dean whispered, leaning forward to talk to Sam.

"To the highway. I haven't figured out anything past that. I figured we could stay somewhere in Asheville over night and go back to the estate in the morning to assess the damage and figure out a next move."

"Did Ruby get into the house?"

"No. She drove the van up to the front door."

"How did –"

"Dean, I'll explain it all later," Sam glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

Dean glanced at Tom who only shrugged. Realizing he wouldn't get any more information for the moment, he turned his attention to the boys. He maneuvered to get them into the seat with him and Kristine. Nicholas sat on Dean's lap while Alex settled between him and Kristine. They didn't try to make the boys talk, but after a few minutes, Dean felt them begin to relax.

Once they were closer to Asheville, Kristine directed Sam to a motel she knew would be safe. It wasn't the kind of place the Winchesters would normally stay, but it was far from the four-star places Kristine was used to. Sam and Tom went to the office to secure rooms. Ruby got out of the van along with everyone else, but made her getaway while Dean and Kristine were dealing with the tired boys.

Sam and Tom returned with three room keys. Two of the rooms were adjoining and the third was across the hall. Tom took that room. They boys got tucked into bed and Kristine stayed with them while Dean went next door to talk to Sam.

He found his brother sitting on the edge of the bed. Dean thought Sam must have splashed water on his face as his hair was wet and pushed back from his forehead.

"You okay?" Dean asked, sitting on the next bed.

"Yeah. The boys?"

"They're exhausted," Dean looked at his brother. "So?"

Sam took a deep breath. "When I hung up with you, Ruby called again. She said to get everyone ready because she'd be at the front door with the van. She had this little….thing….machine? I don't know. It makes some noise that's beyond human hearing – "

"Like a dog whistle?"

"Yeah, kind of. Except this is battery operated," Sam looked at him. "Literally. And that's how she got past the vampires. It causes them pain, disorients them."

"I saw that."

"I didn't get a good look at it and I'm going to bet she didn't leave it when she took off."

"Not likely."

"We got into the van; she told me to drive and we headed to you."

"Did Ruby have any insight into what's going on?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm listening."

"She said there are a lot of factions in the demon world. Some still follow what Yellow Eyes was trying to do. She doesn't know who, but said she thinks there's someone out there trying to do create another leader; like Yellow Eyes was trying to do with me and the others."

"She said some demon gave Nicholas and Joey those abilities?"

"That's not exactly what she said. It could still be that this demon is recruiting kids who naturally have abilities."

Dean leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Another demon."

"Yeah," Sam matched is brother's posture.

"Damn."

"It's never going to end, is it?"

Dean looked at Sam. His expression was beyond sad.

"There's a lot of evil out there, Sammy. We do what we can."

Sam nodded.

"What about the demon that took the boys from the home in the first place?"

"Ruby's best guess is that the demon that possessed Jordon is against whatever plan this new demon has in mind."

"So, what? This new demon recruited the vampires to help?"

"Seems that way."

There was a knock at the door and both brothers turned toward it. Dean got up and looked out of the peephole. "It's Tom," he said turning the knob.

"Hey, guys," he said and walked past Dean. "Now that we have a few minutes….Look, I recognized some of the vampires as the ones that I've been following. I think what your demon friend said is probably right. Assuming she was telling the truth about a demon being the one ultimately after these kids, it seems likely it recruited some help. I don't know why vampires and not other demons, though."

"Until we know which demon we're dealing with, there's not a whole lot we can do," Dean said, almost to himself. "Maybe not even then."

The others looked at him.

"So, when we go back to the estate tomorrow, what are we going to find?" Dean asked.

"That's a good question," Tom agreed.

"I don't think we should take the boys back there until we've checked it out first," Dean said. "And we have to find a safe place for them long-term."

"That won't be so easy if there's really a demon after them," Tom pointed out.

Dean glanced at his brother. He and their father had managed to keep Sam safe for years, but Dean realized that it hadn't been until the last few that Yellow Eyes had actively been recruiting Sam. Dean had failed to protect Sam when it was really counted and he'd be paying for that mistake for eternity.

"Nothing we do is easy," Dean grumbled. "Do you think there's any way to find other kids who fit the profile and somehow get to them before the demon does?"

"Dean, we don't even know what the profile is. Not for sure, anyway," Sam said.

"Damnit!" he picked up a pillow and threw it across the room.

"Why don't we all just try to get some rest?" Tom suggested. "It's late and we're all tired. In the morning, we'll go check out the estate and see what there is to see."

"Let's do that," Sam agreed. He looked at his brother. "Dean?"

"Fine," Dean sighed.

Tom waited for a moment before leaving the room.

"I can go to the other room; you can sleep in here with Kristine," Sam said once they were alone.

"Sam…." Dean didn't look at his brother. "Sammy, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Dean shook his head. "A lot of stuff."

"Dean, come on, man. Don't do this. You got nothing to apologize to me for."

"I just feel like….I don't know."

Sam stood next to his brother. "You know, Tom was right. We're all tired. Let's just get some sleep and regroup in the morning."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Dean went to check on the boys in the next room and found them asleep. Kristine had laid down on top of the other bed and she, too, was sleeping. Dean watched the boys for a moment, then kissed Kristine gently before going back to the other room.

oooOOOooo

The rest of the night passed without incident. The next morning there was still no sign of Ruby. After some discussion, it was decided they would all go back to Mountain Ridge together, but Kristine and the boys would stay in town while the others made sure the estate was safe. Kristine wanted to see the place for herself, but understood the need for the boys not to be there if it wasn't safe or if there were dead vampires everywhere. They had no idea what the end result of Ruby's device was or what she might have done after leaving them the night before.

--

Dean drove onto the estate and made his way to the main house quickly. He stopped the van in the back and followed Sam's gaze to a spot past the pool. Dean knew it had been used to bonfires in Kristine's childhood and there was a thin trail of smoke coming from it now. A moment later Ruby came from around a wooden fence carrying a body over her shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

"Hello, boys," she called to them.

The brothers exchanged a look and headed toward her. Tom followed without a word.

"I missed one," she said after tossing the body onto the dying embers. A moment later the flames intensified.

"You been doing this all night?" Dean asked, feeling something between gratitude and disgust.

"Off and on. I think this is the last of them."

"Are they all dead?" Sam asked.

"That would be much too convenient," she replied, her eyes cold. "There were about 50 of them here last night. Only 12 or so are part of the core group that's been going after kids. The rest were probably just recruited for the night. I concentrated on the core and got seven of them. They won't be back tonight. They'll need time to regroup."

"How do you know that?" Dean asked.

"I just do."

"What was that thing you used on them?"

"Sorry, sport, I can't give it to you."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't," she repeated as she stared at him. "I thought you didn't like me helping anyway."

Dean didn't respond.

"Okay," she said turning on her heels. "I've done all I can here and I have other things to take care of."

"Ruby," Sam called, earning him a look from Dean. "Wait."

She turned back around.

"Thanks for what you did last night, but….What do we do next?"

"Look, I don't know who is behind this and I don't know how to find out. It took your father over 20 years to find out who killed your mother. Settle in for a long wait."

_TBC_


	8. Chapter 8

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N:** We still have a ways to go...

oooOOOooo

_May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism_

Unknown

_It is always fresh, always new, always there for the still, innocent mind that has experienced life without needing to hold on to what has gone before_

Barry Long

oooOOOooo

When Kristine suggested she and the boys get dropped off at the restaurant in town, she wasn't really expecting the boys to eat. She wasn't particularly hungry herself, but she ordered a small breakfast and coffee hoping she could eat enough of it to be a good influence on Alex and Nicholas. So far, it wasn't working.

She couldn't begin to imagine what might have happened the night before if Ruby hadn't come to the rescue. She didn't think the vampires could have gotten into the houses, but would they have just gone away when the sun came up? What was the point of their coming onto the estate if they were just going to walk away?

After a long sip of coffee, Kristine put her arm around Nicholas. He leaned against her.

"You guys should try to eat something," she said. "Just a couple of bites."

"I'm not hungry," Alex said as he pushed his plate away.

"Me neither," Nicholas said.

"Yeah, neither am I," Kristine admitted.

"Are we gonna go back to the big house?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know yet. Sam, Dean and Tom are checking it out."

"Who was that lady who helped us last night?" Alex asked.

"She sometimes helps Sam and Dean," Kristine answered. There was no reason to tell them that Ruby was a demon.

"How did she make the vampires fall down?" Nicholas asked, his voice small.

"I don't know exactly. She had some kind of machine, I guess."

"Can we have one?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know. I'm sorry I don't have more answers, guys. Maybe Sam and Dean will know more when they come to pick us up." Kristine pulled the four-year old close and looked at Alex. "How you doin'?"

Alex shrugged.

Kristine had no idea what to do to keep the boys entertained, but she didn't think being at the diner would do it. "You guys ready to get out of here?"

"Dean said we had to stay," Nicholas reminded her.

Kristine smiled. "A friend of mine owns the inn down the street. We can go there and swim or watch television. I'll call Dean and let him know."

The brothers exchanged a look and then Alex nodded. "Okay."

At one time Kristine's family owned the bed and breakfast, but Kristine's mother had left it to her friend and the inn's long-time manager in her will. Rachel was like a second mother to Kristine and she knew about the supernatural, sometimes lending her help at the estate. Kristine had called to tell her about Ross, but hadn't seen her in several days.

Kristine didn't have her phone with her and had to wait to call Dean until they'd gotten to the inn. She introduced the boys to Rachel who immediately took over and did what she could to make them feel welcome. She took them with her to find swimming trunks in their sizes while Kristine called Dean's cell phone from the office. She wasn't sure he'd answer the call and was prepared to leave a message.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey," he said. "You okay?"

"Yeah; I just wanted to let you know we're at the inn. What's going on there? I expected the call to go to voice mail."

"Ruby was here when we got here. She was burning bodies."

"Vampire bodies, I hope?"

"Yeah. She got seven of the main group. She and Tom seem to agree there are – were - twelve in the core. She said they won't be back tonight; they'll have to regroup."

"Do we believe her?"

"I don't know, but it makes sense that they wouldn't come back right away."

"Are we going to sleep there tonight?"

"I don't know that, either, babe. I'll come and get you in a little while, okay?"

"Sure."

Kristine poured a cup of coffee and went outside to the pool. Rachel was chatting with two of the inn guests while keeping an eye on the boys. After a few moments, she left the guests to their sunbathing and joined Kristine on the other side of the pool.

In quiet tones Kristine told her what had been going on and Rachel listened quietly. Once Kristine was done with her story, there really wasn't much else to say. Rachel glanced at her, then sat back in the deck chair.

"So, Dean's in town. That must make you happy."

Kristine couldn't help but laugh.

--

Sam had followed Tom into the main house after Ruby left, but stopped in the kitchen for something to drink while the other hunter continued upstairs. He opened the can of soda and sat at the kitchen table, suddenly too exhausted to go any further.

He had known that his role in hunting wouldn't end once the demon that killed his mom and girlfriend was destroyed. He hadn't thought much about it after going back on the road with Dean, but there would always be evil to hunt down and kill. That was a sad fact that would probably always be true, but he hadn't really ever considered that the demon would be replaced by something just as vile.

Sam didn't want to start all over again; particularly knowing Dean wouldn't be around to fight at his side. They had so much information and it all pointed to the same thing – there was a new demon hat seemed to be following in Azazel's footsteps. Add to that what had been said about something rising up in the west….how was he ever going to make a difference when the second one horrible monster was dead something else took its place?

He covered his face with his hands, trying to garner the strength to just sit up straight and start thinking about what needed to be done. It all just seemed so overwhelming and he found himself thinking about his dad. Sam had grown up with the supernatural – well, after the age of 9 when he'd learned the truth about what their father did anyway and he felt beaten down with this new situation. He couldn't imagine how his dad had managed to cope being slapped in the face with it the way he was.

Sam missed his father, but it was still rare that he found himself wishing for his help. It wasn't like that had been in abundance when the man was alive. He really wanted some fatherly advice right now, but he knew there was none to come. And what he'd always been able to depend on, his brother's love and advice, would also soon be gone. He doubted they were going to find any answers any time soon and he would have to keep working at it alone.

"Sam."

Startled, he turned to see Dean sitting across from him, his face full of concern. He hadn't even heard the door open, let alone heard his brother walk across the room. He tried to seem unaffected, but the look on Dean's face said he wasn't buying it.

"So," Sam cleared his throat. "What do we do now? Stay here? Find somewhere else to go?"

Dean stared at him for another moment, then sat back in his chair. "I don't know. There's gonna be a houseful of hunters soon for Ross' service. Here's probably gonna be as safe as anywhere."

Sam nodded thoughtfully.

"I feel like we should be in Atlanta helping to look for Joey," Dean said. "Probably wouldn't do any good."

"You know what I can't figure out," Sam said. "Is where the demon that brought Alex and Nicholas here fits into the equation."

"Yeah, I don't get that either."

"I guess I can believe a demon recruited vampires, but…." Sam shook his head.

"It's a mind-bender," Dean agreed.

Sam looked at him, a little surprised at Dean's choice of phrase.

"You know," Sam began slowly. "We can't stay here forever."

"Kinda depends on how long your forever is," Dean said levelly.

"I guess….." Sam tried to figure out what was going on in his brother's head, but Dean's expression was blank. "Do you want to stay here? I mean, if you do…."

"No. I mean, yeah, but no. There aren't any answers here. We just need to find a safe place for Nicholas and Alex to live."

"Dean, if you want to stay with Kristine until –"

"No," Dean said, his expression darkening. "It's hard enough to watch you dealing with this. I can't watch her do it, too. Maybe that's selfish of me, but I think I get to be a little selfish."

"It's up to you. But I just want you to know that if you want to stay, I'll stay, too."

Dean nodded, his eyes softer than just a moment ago. "I think I'll go into town and get Kristine and the kids. We need to really get on finding a place for them. Hey, you mind calling Bobby and filling him in?"

"Sure," Sam agreed as Dean headed out the back door.

oooOOOooo

They stayed at the main house that night. Everyone was nervous, but there were no unwelcome visitors and the night passed without incident. When hunters started showing up the following day, Sam, Dean, Kristine and the boys moved to the cottage as planned. Bobby's arrival helped to ease some of the tension that had been building, even though he had no new ideas.

Dean watched Kristine closely as she went through the next few days. She played hostess to the hunters who came into town for Ross' service and took care of all the necessary details. She spent time with the boys, though with Bobby's help he and Sam made sure they were entertained and taken care of. In the little bit of spare time she had, Kristine was on the phone making inquiries about a home for them.

Things were stressful and hectic even into the late hours, but Dean allowed himself enjoy the few minutes he and Kristine were able to spend alone before they fell asleep after the long days.

Four days later, things were quieter on the estate. The service was over and in addition to Tom and Bobby, only hunters in need of some rest were there. It was still busier for Kristine than normal since she didn't have Ross to depend on, but her friend, Rachel, came by every day to cook and help where she could.

Kristine knew that wasn't a long-term solution and in addition to still trying to find a place for the boys to live, she tried to come up with a plan for the estate.

--

It had been a week since Ross' service and the main house was all but deserted. Bobby was still in town, but Tom had gone back to tracking the vampires and trying to save children. So far, of the children they knew about, only Joey was missing. No one expected him to be found and it had been decided not to tell Nicholas and Alex about him. Sam and Dean had considered going with Tom, but it was decided they'd be better use to the boys if they stuck around for a little longer.

Even though there'd been no trouble at the estate for over a week, Kristine was still nervous at night. She didn't go outside or even very close to the windows. She'd gotten into the habit of pulling the curtains closed, though that was never something she'd worried about before. With no neighbors nearby, it had never been a concern.

The boys seemed to have recovered better than Kristine, but she was okay with that. She wanted them to feel safe and she'd deal with her own issues at some point; including those surrounding Ross' death. She was planning to go back to work the following week, but still had no idea how she was going to run the estate. Rachel had offered to help, but she hadn't seemed entirely comfortable about it and Kristine suspected she'd only made it out of a feeling of obligation. She preferred to have someone at the estate with more experience around hunters, anyway.

Kristine had moved everyone back to the main house so that she was there in case new guests arrived. She'd had trouble going to sleep the second night back, so Kristine had relocated to the den with a book and a mug of cocoa. Even in the mountains it generally wasn't cold enough for warm cocoa at night, but she was aiming for comfort.

She stopped reading when she heard something outside. It hadn't been a very loud noise and could have been anything, but Kristine's heart was racing nonetheless. There was no reason to think anything could get into the house, but that didn't make her feel any better. A few moments later, she heard the noise again. She couldn't make out what it was or where it was coming from, so she put the book aside and turned off the lights. When her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she took one of the guns hidden in the room and went to the window.

Pulling aside the curtain slightly, she had a good view of the yard outside. The moon was full and there was plenty of light, but she didn't see anything that shouldn't have been there. She noticed the leaves of the trees across the yard blowing and thought maybe the noise she'd heard was caused by the wind.

Kristine had just relaxed enough to sit back down on the couch when she heard the front doorbell ring. There were security cameras trained on the porch, but she was afraid the doorbell would wake the boys, so she decided not to take the time to check the monitors.

She carried the rifle to the door and looked out the peephole. At first she didn't see anything, but when the visitor reached for the doorbell again, she stepped into view.

"Holy shit," Kristine muttered. She put aside the gun and opened the door.

The woman looked at her, a little wide-eyed, but then she smiled.

"Hey, kid, got room for one more?"

"Jesus….Ellen!" Kristine hesitated then pulled the woman into the house and threw her arms around her.

Ellen Harvelle had been a friend of John Winchester's and though they'd lost touch years before, his sons found her after his death. She had helped them out a few times, but had been in hiding since the Hell Gate opened. Her bar, a haven for hunters, had been destroyed by a demon and many of her friends and contacts had died. She'd only survived because she'd gone out to run an errand just before it happened. She'd called Sam and Dean less than a handful of times since then and they'd been worried about her.

Kristine could feel Ellen shaking despite the relative warmth outside.

"Where have you been?" Kristine asked. She pushed the door closed and made sure to lock it before leading Ellen into the kitchen.

The older woman sat down at the table while Kristine went about warming up more cocoa. She put a shot of whiskey into each of the mugs before serving them.

"We've been so worried about you," Kristine said. She'd tried to make conversation while she was working, but Ellen had remained quiet. "I didn't hear a car. How did you get here?"

"I hitched a ride and got dropped off on the road."

"Hitched a ride from where?"

"Not really sure. Been moving around a lot."

"Sam and Dean are here," Kristine said. She watched Ellen closely.

"I saw the Impala."

"Bobby's here, too."

Ellen took a sip of the cocoa and nodded.

"Are you okay?" Kristine asked. Something about Ellen didn't seem right. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Maybe a little something."

Kristine stood up and went about heating up the soup Rachel had made earlier.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No. I…You mind if I wash up a little bit?"

"Of course not. You want to take a warm bath?"

Ellen nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Kristine turned down the burner and took Ellen upstairs. She found some clothes for her and made sure the towels in the bathroom were clean. Ellen wasn't the most feminine woman in the world, but she happily accepted the bath oil that Kristine offered.

Just before Kristine was going to check on her a while later, Ellen came downstairs. She was wearing the long-sleeved t-shirt and sweat pants Kristine had found for her.

"Thanks, I feel better." Ellen said, sounding a little more like herself.

Kristine put a bowl of soup on the table and sat down at the table with the other woman.

"Have you been by yourself this whole time?" Kristine asked after giving her a few minutes to enjoy the soup.

"Off and on," Ellen said. "I was with Jo for a while."

"How is she?"

Ellen shrugged. "Still hell bent on hunting, but at least she's taking time to learn some things before she rushes headlong into it again. Are the boys doing okay?"

"Yeah, but we've had a little situation here for a couple of weeks."

"What's going on?"

Kristine hesitated, but then decided to tell Ellen about the latest events; a brief overview of them, anyway.

"Those poor little boys," Ellen said. "Are you taking them in permanently?"

"I can't, Ellen. Not with what goes on here. I think Dean would like me to take them in, but I don't think it would be the best place for them. And I'm not sure I'm the best person to take care of them."

Ellen said nothing for a few minutes, but then began speaking suddenly. "I didn't really know I was headed here. I've just been going from place to place, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Then I realized there was no sense to it and I was just lucky to have survived when so many others didn't. I started feeling guilty for not being a part of the job any more; especially after the Gate was opened. There's a lot of work to do and I should be helping to do it. There aren't enough of us as it is."

"So what," Kristine smiled. "You're going to be a hunter?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll open another bar; do what I used to do."

Kristine looked thoughtful. "What if you did it here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I….I left some stuff out of the story. Ross died a week or so ago. There was a vampire attack and he didn't make it. I could really use someone around here that can handle hunters."

Ellen looked at her. Some of the spark that Kristine had missed was in her eyes again. "I don't cook so much."

Kristine shrugged. "We'll figure that part out. I'd love you to stay here and your help would be so appreciated."

Ellen nodded and smiled. "I think I'd like that."

"Good. We'll work out the particulars tomorrow."

She laid a hand atop Kristine's. "I'm sorry about Ross, honey."

"Thank you."

"And about Dean."

Tears burned Kristine's eyes. "You know about that?"

She nodded. "If there's a way to get him out of this deal, Sam will find it."

Kristine said nothing.

They talked for a while longer while Ellen finished the soup, then Kristine helped her get settled upstairs. Once she was sure that Ellen would be all right until morning, which wasn't that far off, Kristine went to the room she was sharing with Dean.

She climbed back into bed quietly, but Dean woke up anyway and pulled her into his arms.

"It's late," he said. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she snuggled up to him. "Go back to sleep."

Dean kissed her head. "You stayin' this time?"

She rubbed his chest. "Yeah."

"Good." He rolled over and kissed her.

--

It was just after 8:00 when Sam went downstairs to make coffee. He could smell some already brewing as he approached the kitchen and expected to see Bobby at the table. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ellen sitting there instead. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Sam."

"Ellen, when did you get – what are you doing here?"

She stood up and held out her arms. Sam hugged her tightly.

"I came in last night. Just kinda wandered in. Sit down, I'll get you some coffee."

Sam hesitated and Ellen slapped his arm playfully. "Sit."

"Where have you been?" Sam asked when she joined him at the table. "We've been really worried about you."

"I'm sorry about that, honey, I am. I was just….well, I wasn't in the best of shape."

"Are you okay now?"

She shrugged. "I've only been here a few hours and I already feel better than I have in a long time."

"This place has that effect on people."

Ellen nodded in agreement. Their conversation was interrupted by Alex and Nicholas running into the room, already arguing about something that probably made sense only to them. Sam calmed them down enough long enough to make introductions, then got boxes of cereal from the cabinet as the boys continued their squabbling.

Bobby joined the group a few minutes later and was as surprised to see Ellen as Sam had been. And when Dean made his way to the kitchen, it was clear that Kristine hadn't told him about Ellen. Breakfast was a simple meal, but the atmosphere was almost party-like due to Ellen's presence; not to mention the news that she would be staying for at least a while.

oooOOOooo

Ellen seemed to settle in over the next couple of days and quickly developed quite a rapport with Nicholas and Alex. Even though things at the estate had been calm, but with Bobby's help, another layer of protection was added to the houses. Considering what the people who came to the estate routinely dealt with, more protection couldn't hurt anyway.

When Tom called to tell them that he'd located the vampires and that they seemed to have recruited more into the group, Kristine knew Sam and Dean would go after them. She tried not to react negatively when Dean confirmed her suspicions, but she had no doubt he saw the discontent in her eyes.

Sam and Bobby checked the weapons while Dean went over the Impala with Alex's help.

"Dean?" Alex looked at Dean.

"Yeah?" Dean turned his full attention to the little boy.

"Are you gonna kill the vampires?"

"Yeah. If we can," Dean said. "But we're also gonna make one of them tell us what's going on."

Alex nodded. "Then Nicky will be safe?"

Dean put his hand on Alex's shoulder. "You know you're both safe here, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But we won't be here forever, will we?"

Dean didn't know what to say. He'd give anything for Nicholas and Alex not to have to go to another group home or to live with strangers, but he wasn't going to be around to take care of them for very long. He wished Kristine could take them in, but he knew that in the end, that really wouldn't be a good idea.

He pulled Alex close and hugged him. "It's gonna be okay, I promise."

--

"You all right?" Ellen asked Kristine when she found her looking out of the library window. Her arms were crossed and she was standing very still. "Kristine?"

She glanced behind her at Ellen, then turned back to the window. "Dean is talking to Alex."

"Dean's good with him."

Kristine nodded.

Ellen stood next to Kristine and put her arm around her shoulders. "It's not easy, is it? Loving a hunter?"

"No," Kristine whispered. "It isn't. But that's nothing compared to loving one who sold his soul. God, Ellen, he's….he's going to Hell. What do I do with that?"

"I don't know, honey. I'm sorry."

Kristine leaned against Ellen. "I told Sam that I wanted him to come here after….after Dean is gone."

"That's a good thing."

"He thought I'd hate him because of what Dean did."

"That sounds like Sam."

Kristine took a deep breath. "I don't want him to go. I know he will; I know he has to. It's what he does and he loves those kids…."

"He'll be back.'

"For a day or two, maybe. He won't stay. He won't give up hunting even though…."

Kristine's fragile resolve finally broke and she began to sob. Ellen pulled her closer, putting both arms around her. Kristine hung on as if she would fall otherwise and cried for a long time. When she finally pulled away from Ellen, she squared her shoulders much the same way Dean often did and she nodded.

Ellen glanced out the window. "They're coming toward the house. You'd better go wash your face."

--

"You take care of yourself," Bobby said to Ellen as they stood next to his car. "And don't go disappearing on us again."

Ellen stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Nah, I think I'm here for a while."

Bobby nodded. "Good."

"It'll be nice to feel useful again," Ellen said looking toward Kristine and Dean as they walked away from the house. "And I think Kristine is gonna need the company."

"Can't argue with you there."

"You coming back after you're done with the vampires?'

"I don't know. I might."

Ellen reached out and touched his arm. "I think you should."

He looked at her, his expression somewhat uncertain. "Yeah. Maybe I should."

--

Dean didn't know what to say, so he just put his arms around Kristine and held her. It was always hard to say goodbye to and even though he was coming back, he knew that one day soon he would leave her for the last time.

He was glad that Ellen was going to live at the estate, at least for the time being. He hadn't liked her being out of touch and had been uneasy about her roaming around on her own. Ellen was certainly capable enough of taking care of herself, but her entire world had collapsed when the Roadhouse burned down and Dean would have preferred her in one, safe, place. He knew that she and Kristine would be good for each other and he almost pitied the hunters that tried to give either of them a hard time.

"I'll be back in a few days," he whispered and felt Kristine nod against his chest. She didn't say anything. "Kristine?"

A moment later she took a step back. "Be careful."

"Always."

"Liar," she smiled.

He returned the smile and then kissed her gently. "I'll call tonight."

"Okay."

"You'll be okay with the boys for a few days?"

"We'll be fine," she assured him. "You better go kick some vampire ass now."

Dean nodded and took her hand. They walked to the Impala, where Sam was waiting with Nicholas and Alex.

"All right, you two," Dean said. "We'll be back in a couple of days. You guys take care of Kristine and Ellen, okay?"

Nicholas nodded, looking very serious.

Dean crouched down and looked him in the eye. "It's gonna be okay."

He nodded. "You'll get 'em, right? You and Sam?"

"Yeah," Dean said, his throat tight. "We'll get 'em."

oooOOOooo

With a stop for gas and food, it took just over ten hours to get to the small town west of St. Louis where Tom was waiting. In a bar near the motel, Tom explained what he'd found out. As near as he could tell there were now almost 15 vampires in the group, but they all seemed to follow the orders of one in particular.

"Can we get to him?" Sam asked.

Tom nodded. "I think so. They're staying in some abandoned camp near a lake; it looks very _Friday the 13__th_ out there. Anyway, our guy doesn't seem particularly close to anyone; sleeps in a cabin alone. I went to the morgue while you guys were driving out here and loaded up on dead man's blood. I figure we can take him in the morning, torch the rest of the cabins."

"We can't set fire to a bunch of cabins in the woods," Sam said. "It'll get out of control."

"Sam's right," Dean agreed reluctantly.

"We take their leader and leave them free, they'll no doubt go back to the estate. Some of them, anyway. I know the house is protected. Kristine is good and that chick Ellen seemed scary at hell, but against a group of vampires? I don't know."

"How many cabins?" Bobby asked.

"Four; plus the one the leader sleeps in."

"First priority is to get him," Bobby said. "If we're doing this in the morning, the others will be sleeping. We'll just go in and stake them."

"Oh sure," Dean said with feigned nonchalance. "That sounds easy enough.'

"You know how deep they sleep," Bobby said and then looked at Tom. "Are they feeding here?"

Tom shook his head. "Not that I've seen. I haven't figured out what they're living off of. Some of them hang around in the tavern for a few hours. Some don't seem to leave camp."

"Maybe they're weaker than normal, then," Bobby said hopefully. "Can you draw us a layout of the camp?"

"A rough one," Tom said.

"So, that's the plan? We take the leader and hope we can kill the rest of them before they wake up?" Dean sounded incredulous.

"You got a better idea, boy?" Bobby snarled.

Sam hid a smile behind his hand and Dean shook his head. "No."

oooOOOooo

An hour after putting the boys to bed, Kristine sat in the rocking chair with Nicholas on her lap and Alex leaning forward on the side of the bed. The four year old had awakened from an apparent nightmare, but couldn't talk about it yet. With everything else that had been going on, finding someone who could help him with his ability had moved to the back burner.

She was afraid the dream had been about the vampires that Dean and the others had gone after, but there was no good way to get Nicholas to talk. Pushing him wouldn't do any good and might end up causing him harm. It was hard enough to see horrible things that would probably come true, but all that much harder for someone who was only four-years old. Nicholas wasn't much more than a baby and, as frustrating as it was, Kristine had to accept that.

Kristine felt the little boy shaking and she gathered him closer to her. Nicholas turned his face toward her body and burrowed into her. She was having a hard time keeping herself under control; she was so afraid that Nicholas had seen Dean and the others losing the battle. She was also afraid that it was already too late to do anything about it.

She felt more than heard Nicholas begin to cry. He'd only been awake for a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to her. Every second might make a difference, but he was still just a baby and he couldn't be pushed.

"It's all my fault,"

Kristine barely heard him. "Nothing is your fault, Nicholas. None of this."

"They want me. It's my fault."

Kristine rested her cheek on the top of his head. "Can you tell me what you saw?"

Nicholas sniffled and looked toward his brother. Kristine saw the look on Alex's face; the love for his little brother and the worry. Alex reached out and put a hand on Nicholas' arm, seeming so much older than ten.

It took a moment for Nicholas to get started, but Kristine turned cold while he talked about his dream. Dean had called a couple of hours before and told her what their plan was; Nicholas had seen one of the worst possible scenarios.

When he finished talking, Kristine kissed him. "Thank you, Nicholas. How about you stay here with Alex so I can call Dean?"

Nicholas slid from her lap and scrambled up onto the bed. Alex put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, making Kristine think of a young Sam and Dean as she walked from the room. Ellen was standing just down the hall; close enough to hear, but not close enough to interfere. Kristine knew that the boys liked her, but she'd not completely won their trust yet. She appreciated the older woman's insight into children, but also that she was willing to stay in the background and let Kristine handle the boys.

Ellen put a reassuring hand on Kristine's arm as she walked past.

--

"Hello?" Dean asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Hey, it's me. Nicholas had a dream."

Dean sat up in bed and rubbed his face. "Swell. Tell me about it."

She used Nicholas' words to describe the nightmare, then said. "I think the head vampire is possessed."

"Shit, is that even possible?" Dean asked.

"I don't know; seems like it should be."

"But why?"

"Maybe the demon couldn't get other demons to help? Or maybe they're all possessed. I don't know, Dean, but the dead man's blood probably won't work on a demon-possessed vampire. And they probably know you're coming."

"Damnit," Dean growled. "All right, I'm gonna wake the others and figure something out. Nicholas okay?"

"No, but he will be."

"What about you?"

Kristine hesitated. "No, but I will be. Dean…."

"I could tell you not to worry, but you will anyway. I'll call you later, okay? Try to get some sleep."

--

"I've never heard of a vampire being possessed," Bobby said. "But that doesn't mean it's not possible."

"If it's possessed, it can be exorcised," Tom said.

"We need information before we get rid of it," Sam reminded him. "And we have something that will kill it; with or without an exorcism first."

"Kristine pointed out that if there's a demon here, it probably already knows what we're planning," Dean said.

Sam was about to say something when his cell phone started to ring. Exchanging a look with Dean, he answered it and listened to the caller while staring at his brother. He hung up a few moments later without having said a word.

"Ruby….She said we have to get out of here."

"And go where?" Dean demanded.

"Diner about a mile away."

"I know where it is," Tom said.

Sam seemed to be waiting for his brother and after a moment, Dean nodded. "I don't like it, but let's do it. The Impala is right outside."

They left the room and quickly got into the Impala. They were half a mile away when they saw a fire truck and police cars heading in the opposite direction. Suspecting something had happened at the motel and after a brief conversation, Dean turned the car around. He had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting the woman in the middle of the road a few minutes later, but once he realized it was Ruby, he almost regretted not hitting her. Not that it wouldn't have killed her.

"I told you to get out of here!" she directed her frantic comment to Sam as the men got out of the car.

"We heard –"

"I'll handle it! Go!"

Sam looked at his brother, then back to Ruby. "What's going on here?"

She ignored him and looked at Sam. "Sam, just go, okay? I'll explain everything when I'm finished here."

Still, Sam hesitated. She looked at Dean. "If you don't want your brother to die here tonight, you'll go to the diner."

"Sam," Dean said quietly. He still didn't trust Ruby, but so far, she had seemed to keep Sam safe.

The younger man sighed and slid back into the passenger seat. Dean glared at Ruby for a moment before getting into the car himself.

_TBC_


	9. Chapter 9

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

oooOOOooo

_Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper._

Francis Bacon

_One of the best safeguards of our hopes, I have suggested, is to be able to mark off the areas of hopelessness and to acknowledge them, to face them directly, not with despair but with the creative intent of keeping them from polluting all the areas of possibility._

William F. Lynch

oooOOOooo

After a frustrating half hour at the all but empty diner where the men drank strong coffee mostly in silence, Ruby walked in with someone they didn't recognize. Sam and Dean exchanged a look, then moved to the larger table where Ruby and the stranger sat. Bobby and Tom followed.

"Before you ask," Ruby said. "No one was killed at the motel. No one human anyway."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

Ruby looked at him, but it didn't seem like she was going to be forthcoming with information.

"Who's your friend?" Dean decided to try a different approach.

"You can call me Liam."

"And just who the hell are you?" Dean looked at him.

He looked to Ruby and she nodded.

"I'm the one who brought Alex and Nicholas to your friend."

Dean sat back in the chair. "So, you can tell us what's going on then."

Liam nodded.

"Well?"

After the waitress stopped by to refill coffee cups and greet the newcomers, Liam stared at the table and laid his hands flat. He lifted his head after a moment, but didn't look at any one in particular.

"By now you know that there are several factions trying to take Azazel's place," he began. "And that even he wasn't an undisputed leader. One of his followers, however, wants to carry on what he started."

"And he's teamed up with a group of vampires," Dean said.

Liam nodded. "Yes."

"Why vampires?"

"I'm not sure how it started, but it seems to be beneficial for everyone involved," Liam said with a vague European accent. "And you were right that the leader of the vampires is possessed. Not all the time, but some of it."

"Who is the demon? What does it want with the kids?" Again, the question came from Dean.

"His name is Kek; he has been around for a very long time. He's been around longer than Azazel, but was never particularly powerful. He wants the same thing the yellow-eyed one wanted; someone to lead the army."

"Why can't you lead your own armies?" Sam demanded, his voice quiet but filled with anger.

"It's not my mindset," Liam said. "I can't answer your question."

"And you're helping the kids why?" Dean asked, giving his brother a pointed look.

"Isn't that obvious? I don't want Kek to find his champion. I'll do what I can for as long as I can, but sooner or later, Kek will come after me."

"And how do you fit in?" Dean asked Ruby.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm on your side?"

Dean didn't think that he would ever trust Ruby. He would never understand her true motivation for helping them, but as long as it was to their benefit, he would accept it. Especially if it helped him keep Sam safe.

"Kek knew you were in the motel and would be coming for him," Liam said. "He planned to kill you tonight, but Ruby and I found out about it and intervened."

"And where is Kek now?" Bobby asked.

"The demon got away, but the vampire body is dead. Many of the others are dead, too, and that should go a long way to disband the group. No doubt Kek will organize them and others, again, however."

"Is Nicholas any more important than any of the other kids?" Sam asked.

Liam seemed to consider the question carefully before answering. "I believe so, but I'm not certain."

"So, now what?" Dean wondered.

"Things continue as they were. I will help as many of the children as I can."

"Me, too," Tom proclaimed.

Liam looked at him with a small nod. He turned to Sam. "I know you and your brother have other priorities now, but perhaps if our paths cross again, we will be able to count on your help as well."

Sam exchanged a look with Dean, but only shrugged noncommittally.

"This will never be over, will it?" Dean asked. "There will always be demons trying to get to the top position and using humans for their own purposes."

"I suppose that's true," Liam said. "But you should know that there are those of us who would like to coexist with humanity. We're not all your enemies just because we're demons."

Dean had never considered that before and had no response.

"For now, this is over for you, I think." Liam said to the group. "But Kek knows who you are and may target you in the future. Beyond that, Nicholas needs protection. I have reason to believe that Kristine already has a partial solution for that."

"What do you know about Kristine?" Dean demanded.

Liam smiled at him. "You don't honestly think that someone who does what she does has escaped notice, do you? She's not quite as famous as you Winchesters in my world, but she is known."

That was something else that Dean had not considered, but he didn't like knowing it was true.

"I don't have any other information for you," Liam said to the group, then focused on Dean. "But if I come across something that could help your situation, I will pass it along."

Almost as if they'd never been there, Ruby and Liam took their leave of the diner. There was no puff of smoke and they didn't exactly disappear from sight, but one moment they were at the table and the next, they were gone. The hunters sat in silence for several minutes before Bobby cleared his throat.

"So, that's that," he said.

"It doesn't feel over," Sam said. "We didn't finish the job."

"It's a big job," Dean reminded him. "We figured since we got to the estate that we wouldn't see the end any time soon."

"Yeah," Sam said, sounding depressed.

"Now what?" Tom asked. "Do we just take off?"

Dean shrugged. "There doesn't seem to be a reason to stay. The vampires that weren't killed are gone. Assuming we can trust what Liam said, that is."

"I can't believe I'm working with a demon," Tom said a moment later. "I mean, I'm trying to keep kids safe, but so is Liam. That just feels a little weird."

"What about what he said?" Dean asked, looking to Bobby. "That some demons want to coexist and that they aren't all our enemies?"

Bobby shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's possible."

The men stayed together for a while longer, talking about the various possibilities and implications of what they'd learned. Eventually, they decided it was time to move on. Dean drove them back to the motel and found the officials were all gone. They probably had the license plate numbers of the cars in the parking lot, but they wouldn't be able to trace anything back to Tom or Bobby.

There vast majority of damage to the structure was in the room Sam and Dean had been sharing. They were glad they'd left most of their stuff in the car and hadn't lost many of their few possessions.

Tom wasn't sure where he was going next, but he had a feeling he would be seeing Liam again soon. After saying goodbye to Bobby and the Winchesters, he got into his car and onto the highway.

Bobby decided to drive back to the estate; he felt an obligation to do what he could to help Nicholas and Alex. Liam had hinted that Kristine had a solution to protecting them and Bobby wanted to be around if his help was needed. Even if it was just to help keep Dean's temper at bay.

--

"You're quiet," Dean said to his brother after an hour on the road.

"Not much to say, I guess."

"What's going on in your head?"

Sam sighed and turned in the seat slightly. "I just keep going back to what Liam said about coexisting with humans."

"That's kinda stuck in my head, too."

"If all demons are inherently evil, how can that ever happen?"

"I don't think it can. Hell, humans can't even coexist with each other."

"True enough," Sam nodded. "God, I'm tired."

"Go to sleep; I'm okay."

"I didn't mean that. I meant just…."

"Yeah," Dean agreed after a moment. "I know."

"I don't know if I can do this without you, man," Sam said quietly.

"You can, Sam."

"What if I don't want to?"

Dean glanced at him. "No one said you had to. You can always go back to school."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed.

"Come on, dude, you can do whatever you want."

"You know how when I say that to you, you say that you've never been able to do what you want? Well, that's true for me, too. I went to school, but look what happened. And I never fit in there, anyway. I wouldn't fit into some law firm or anywhere else for that matter."

"Sam…."

The brothers were silent for several minutes.

"I'm sorry," Dean said quietly.

"What for?"

"Leaving," Dean's hand tightened on the steering wheel. "I just couldn't live with you dead, Sammy. I know you get pissed off at me when I say that you're stronger than me or better than me, but it's true."

"No, it isn't, Dean. You've saved me so many times; you've always taken care of me. Everything I know about hunting, I learned from you."

"That's bullshit and we both know it. Look, man, just because I think you're better than I am doesn't mean I don't think I'm any good. You've helped me realize…but…."

"But what?" Sam asked after a moment.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be okay. Dad never had to tell me to look out for you. I would have done that anyway because that's what big brothers do."

"There's still time," Sam said, his voice cracking.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "It would be good to find a way out, but if we don't….Sam, you have to figure out how to be okay."

"With you in Hell? That's not gonna happen, man."

"Yeah, well, it has to. I don't regret bringing you back for one second, but I don't wanna die and I don't wanna go to Hell. I'll go if that's what I have to do. Just….If you aren't okay, I'll be there for nothing."

"That's not fair, Dean."

"I know it isn't. I'm sorry."

"This really sucks, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do."

They traveled in silence for a few more minutes, then Sam spoke again. "I'll do what I can to look out for Nicholas and Alex."

"That would be good."

"I think it's good that Ellen will be at the estate."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Might not be a bad idea for you to spend some time there, too."

"I already promised to keep in touch with Kristine."

"This isn't about Kristine. It's about you."

"Yeah, we'll see."

Dean glanced at him and Sam didn't miss the sparkle in his brother's eye.

"Listen to your big brother."

oooOOOooo

It was almost noon of the next day before Dean was awake. He normally didn't linger in bed after waking up, especially if he was alone, but he was in no hurry to face Nicholas and Alex. He now understood what the boys were up against more or less, but he had to tell them there was no end to it. He was almost certain that would be the outcome when he left the estate, but it was still going to be hard to explain it to them.

Dean forced himself up after several minutes, but killed more time by showering and shaving before he got dressed and went downstairs. He smelled coffee and went into the kitchen to pour a cup, then saw Kristine and the boys through the large window. The three of them were in the pool and it looked like both boys were ganging up on her in a game of volleyball. He watched from inside for a while, thinking about what Liam had said about Kristine already having a solution to the boys' protection.

When the three of them climbed out of the pool, Dean headed outside. He heard Nicholas call yell out his name happily and begin to run toward him. Kristine caught the little boy and laughed. "Hold on, Aquaman, better dry off a little first."

Dean put the coffee cup on a poolside table and after Kristine had wrapped a towel around him, picked Nicholas up and put him on his lap. Alex joined them a moment later.

"Did you get the bad vampires?" Nicholas asked.

"Yeah," Dean said. "We got the bad vampires."

He looked at Kristine as she approached and told himself he wasn't being completely disingenuous.

"They won't bother us any more?"

Dean looked back at the little boy. He thought back to the first time his father had been completely honest with Sam about the supernatural and how it still bothered his brother. Sam had been nine at the time and though Alex was a year older than that, Nicholas was much younger. There was no reason such a little boy should live in fear. He'd have a hard enough time with his dreams, though because of them, Dean had to be somewhat truthful.

"You know what?" Dean said. "If you hadn't told Kristine about that dream you had, we all would have walked into a trap."

"Alex told me I should always tell my dreams from now on."

Dean glanced at the older boy. "Alex is right."

"He says that's cuz he's the big brother."

"Is that what he says?" Dean smiled to himself. "Yeah, well, that's what I tell Sam, too."

Nicholas rolled his eyes dramatically. "I wanna go back in the pool."

"Okay. Be careful and no running."

"Good dodge," Kristine said as they sat in chairs near the pool. Nicholas had already jumped back into the water and Alex was close behind him.

"They're just kids," Dean shrugged. "Have you seen Sam or Bobby?"

"Bobby is with Ellen. They went into town to run some errands. Sam was out here a little while ago, but wanted to do some work on the computer."

"So, uh, Kristine?" Dean asked after a moment. "That demon, Liam? He said you already had things figured out as far as protecting Nicholas and Alex."

She looked at him sideways. "Huh."

"Spill it."

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure."

"You found a family for them?"

"Not exactly; more like they found me."

"What does that mean?"

"One of my cousins called me the other day. A friend of hers has dreams; had one about Alex and Nicholas."

"And?"

"She and her husband have been married for five years. They can't have kids and have been thinking about adoption."

"And?"

Kristine rolled her eyes. "And they want to meet Nicholas and Alex."

"What do you know about them?"

"My cousin has known Angelica for years."

"What do _you_ know about them?"

"I'm doing some checking. So far, they look great. He's a high school English teacher and has a couple of published novels. She teaches kindergarten. They live in a good neighborhood, have a nice house, friends. My cousin really likes them."

Dean sat forward and turned to face her. "When were you going to tell me?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"What?"

Kristine looked at him. "You honestly think I wasn't going to tell you?"

"Well, no, but –"

"But what?"

"Don't start a fight with me, woman."

Kristine couldn't help but smile. "Bite me."

Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Later," she laughed.

"So, now what?" Dean turned serious.

"They're going to drive up here this weekend for a visit. We meet them, they meet the boys. We see how it goes."

"They know vampires are real?"

Kristine nodded. "They do now."

"What do they know about protection against demons?"

"Probably not a lot. But we can teach them."

"They can't protect those boys," Dean said, a sudden feeling of desperation coming over him. "It's wrong of us to expect them to do it. It's our responsibility; _my_ responsibility."

"Dean, what are you talking about?" Kristine glanced toward the pool, but the boys weren't paying any attention to them.

"There's a demon after Nicholas, Kristine. He and Alex need to live with experts; people who know what to do. Kristine, you know how to protect them. You –"

"We've talked about this, Dean."

"Ellen will be here; she can help."

"Dean…."

"There's no place safer than the estate, Kristine. It's not fair to throw them out."

"Throw them out? Dean, that's not what I'm doing."

Dean turned his chair toward her and leaned forward. "Kristine, come on, think about this."

"Jesus, Dean, don't you think I have? I will keep in touch with them, I'll visit them and they're welcome to visit here. I'll make sure the Raines know what to do, but damnit, Dean don't put this on me. Don't make me feel guilty for finding them another place to live."

"Kristine –"

"Please, Dean. You have to understand. I care about those boys, but they need more than a demon-proof home. They need people they can depend on; people who won't flake out on them. I'm not that person, Dean," Kristine spoke softly through tears. "Whether or not Ellen is here, I am not that person."

Dean sat back in his chair. He hadn't intended to make Kristine feel guilty and he certainly hadn't wanted to make her cry. He didn't even really understand what came over him. The Raines were probably very decent people who seemed to be exactly what the boys needed. Kristine was right that they could be taught about protection from demons; no one is born with that information. But now, seeing Kristine react this way, he couldn't help but be worried about her.

Before Dean could apologize, Kristine stood up. "They shouldn't be in the pool without someone watching them."

He had no choice but to watch as Kristine walked away.

oooOOOooo

"You didn't tell us what happened."

Dean had put the boys to bed hours ago and was surprised to hear Alex's voice. He looked away from the television to see the boy standing just inside the room. Dean exchanged a look with Sam.

"What are you doing awake?" Dean asked once Sam had made a feeble excuse to leave the room.

"What are _you_ doing awake?" Alex countered, his tone angry.

Dean moved his feet from the coffee table and sat up. "Come here."

Alex moved forward and sat down next to him.

"Nicholas' dream didn't happen," Dean said.

"I know that. In his dream, you died. So what did happen?"

Dean sighed. "We were trying to decide what to do after Kristine called. Then someone else called Sam and told us to leave the motel, so we did."

"Who called?"

"The woman who helped us before; when the vampires came here." Dean didn't want to tell him that Ruby was a demon. "She found out that the vampires had set kind of a trap for us. She and a friend of hers took care of a bunch of them."

"Not all?"

Dean shook his head. "No, but the leader is dead. It's going to take time for them to get organized again. Tom is already working on tracking them and….so is the man who brought you and Nicholas here."

"What do they want with my brother?"

Dean considered his answer for several moments before he spoke. He'd give anything to keep the truth from Alex, but knew how often that had backfired with Sam over the years. Dean didn't want Alex to live in constant fear, but realized that there was always going to be at least some degree of it in his life.

"The vampires were working for someone who thinks Nicholas might be able to help him some day."

"Help him with what?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Dean lied. "But we know he's a bad guy."

"Nicky would never help a bad guy."

"I know," Dean assured him.

"Do you know who the bad guy is?"

"Yeah."

"He's not human," Alex looked at Dean. "Is he?"

"No," Dean confirmed reluctantly.

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Nicky had another dream."

"When? Tonight?" Dean was suddenly nervous.

"Yeah. That's what woke me up, but it wasn't a bad dream."

"What was it about?"

"Some lady. Nicky said she had a pretty smile and that she was nice."

"What did she do?"

"I don't know. Nicholas just said she was nice. He said he knows the vampires won't be back for a while."

"He dreamed that?"

"He said that he didn't; he just knows. And you said their leader got killed, so I guess Nicholas is right."

"Seems that way," Dean agreed.

Alex settled against the back of the couch.

"Something else on your mind?" Dean asked after several quite moments.

"How much longer will you be here?"

"I don't know for sure."

"You move on when the job is done. The job you came here to do is done."

Dean looked at Alex. He considered putting an arm around his shoulders, but decided against it. "It's not completely done yet. You and Nicholas still need a place to live."

"Why can't we live here?" Alex asked suddenly.

"A lot of reasons, Alex. Usually there are a lot of hunters here and they aren't always the best people to be around. And on top of taking care of things here, Kristine has another job that she hasn't gone to for a while. Her boss needs her to come back soon, so she wouldn't be able to take care of you."

"I like her."

Dean smiled. "She likes you, too."

"Do you think once we go live somewhere else that we can still visit here?"

"I think we can probably make that happen," Dean said. "You never have to worry about not having someone around to take care of you, okay? I promise. We'll find you a safe place, but if you ever need anything, you can call one of us and we'll be there."

"I know," Alex nodded.

"How about you go back to bed, hmmm?"

"Okay," Alex stood up.

"You want me to come up with you?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Dude, I'm ten."

--

Kristine had found ways to avoid talking to Dean since their conversation at the pool earlier. She was even talented enough to do it without anyone else noticing. Not that Dean had tried all that hard to talk to her again. He felt bad for losing it with her before and even though he understood her reasons for not wanting the boys to live with her, he thought it might actually be the best thing for all three of them.

She'd gone upstairs to work on client reports for the clinic in Asheville not long after dinner. She was usually behind on paperwork, but having been off for so long hadn't helped that. Dean suspected she might have continued to put it off had it not been for what happened earlier.

He wasn't sure he'd be welcome in the room he and Kristine had been sleeping in, but when he joined her after checking on Nicholas and Alex, he was relieved to see her look up from her laptop and smile. It was a cautious smile, but it was warm nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," Dean said before anything else could happen.

"Me, too."

"I didn't mean to push you or make you feel bad."

"I know. It's just….I already feel guilty about the kids. But I wouldn't recommend they go somewhere that I honestly didn't think would be good for them."

"Yeah, I know that." Dean kicked off his boots and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "I think you're stronger than you're giving yourself credit for."

"I can't take that chance with them, Dean. It's not fair." She put the computer aside. "I don't want you to think I'm just this side of a breakdown. I feel okay. The medication is regulated and the counseling is going good. I don't want you to worry."

"Oh, sweetheart, that's what I do best."

"What do you do second best?"

Dean smiled at her.

oooOOOooo

Even though Dean liked being at the estate, he was used to being on the road. He tended to get antsy after a couple of weeks in one place despite enjoying the time he was able to spend with Kristine. He wasn't even sure how long ago he and Sam arrived in North Carolina, but he wasn't really ready to go. He knew he had to – he and Sam had things to do, evil to fight. As much as Dean wanted to stay with Kristine, he still needed to go out swinging. He didn't want the Hell Hounds to come for him at the estate.

Besides, what he'd told Sam was true. It was hard enough watching him go through each day knowing it was one day closer to Dean's last. There was no way he could watch Kristine do the same thing. It wasn't fair, but most things weren't.

Keith and Angelica Raines, the couple who were interested in the boys, would be in town for the weekend. They were meeting Kristine in Asheville after her last appointment on Friday so that they could speak in person before she introduced them to the boys. Dean had wanted to be there, but Kristine insisted she meet with them alone first. Dean reluctantly agreed that it probably wasn't a bad idea. He was pretty sure the dream Nicholas had had about the nice lady was about Angelica, but he was distrustful.

He accepted Kristine's instinct that it wouldn't be the best solution for her to take the boys in permanently, but he still thought it would be best for them. They liked the estate and would be more than protected there. They could live in the cottage with Kristine and would probably never even come into contact with hunters. But Kristine still had issues she was working through and the added responsibility of being a parent might have negative effects on her. That could end up being bad for all three of them.

Of all the repercussions from Dean's deal, not being able to keep an eye on Kristine was one he regretted most. Well, after leaving Sam alone, that is. He had no illusions of being Kristine's savior and he knew that Ellen being at the estate would probably do more than he ever could, but Dean was almost as protective of Kristine as he was of his brother.

While Kristine spent time at work over the next few mornings, Dean and Sam entertained the boys with various activities. It wasn't often that Dean was able to watch Sam just having fun and he was glad to see his brother seemingly bonding so well with Nicholas and Alex. Dean hated the thought of not being able to watch over the boys any more, but he knew that there would be others to take care of them. And he hoped that Sam would let others be there for him, too.

They were spending Friday at a nearby zoo and having lunch when Ellen called Dean's cell phone to tell him that three hunters had arrived at the estate. She thought it might be a good idea to keep the boys out a little longer than planned so she could deal with the new arrivals. One of them had a shoulder wound that needed tending to and another was more than a little grumpy. The third one was busy trying to keep that one from doing damage to the house. She assured Dean she could handle the situation, but hadn't wanted the young ones to walk in on anything that might bother them.

"Hey," Sam sat down on a bench next to his brother from where they could see Nicholas and Alex playing on zoo-themed playground equipment.

Sam and Dean had gone their separate ways with the boys for a while. Alex had wanted to spend more time in the reptile house while Nicholas had been ready to move onto the chimpanzees; they'd agreed to meet at the playground.

"Hey."

"Nicholas is getting tired; he'll be crashing soon."

Dean nodded. "I'll give Ellen a call in a few minutes. If the main house is still a little crazy, we can take the kids to the cottage."

Sam looked Dean. There was something about the way he was sitting and the way he'd sounded that bothered the younger man.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. So, I've just been thinking ."

"Oh no."

Dean glanced at him.

"What about?" Sam asked, seeing his brother wasn't in a joking mood.

"I think that couple…I think they'll probably be the people Nicholas and Alex live with. It'll probably happen pretty soon."

"Kristine seems to think it will be a good fit."

Dean nodded, still watching the boys. "Yeah."

"You okay with that?"

"If they are."

"Dean, have you thought any more about staying with Kristine until…."

Dean glanced at him. "I've thought about it every day."

"You know, it would be okay if –"

"No, Sam."

Sam nodded, but didn't say anything.

--

According to Ellen, things had calmed down considerably at the estate, but Dean still insisted on taking the boys to the cottage. Sam wanted his computer and notes, so he continued to the main house. He saw Kristine and Ellen sitting on the deck when he parked the Impala. Kristine had given him no reason to feel this way, but he was still a little uncomfortable around her. She had insisted she didn't blame him for Dean making the deal, and he knew she wouldn't lie to him, but still he had reservations.

His put his hands in his pockets after climbing the deck stairs. "Hey."

"Hi, how was the zoo?" Kristine smiled.

"Good. The kids really enjoyed it."

"You including Dean as one of the kids?"

Sam laughed. "I probably should. So, things are okay here?"

Ellen nodded. "Yeah; I haven't lost my touch."

"Where's the rest of your playgroup?" Kristine grinned at Sam.

"At the cottage. Dean thought it would be best considering the visitors. Nicholas is wiped out and Alex is pretending that he isn't." Sam sat down across from the women and looked at Kristine. "Did you talk to the Raines?"

"Yeah. I really like them. They're going to come by the cottage in the morning."

"Are you going to talk to the boys first?"

"Of course. I don't want to spring this on them, but I don't want them to feel like they're on display, either. It's not a done deal."

"Dean told you that Nicholas dreamed about Mrs. Raines, didn't he?"

"He told me about the dream, but not that it was Angelica specifically."

"That's what he thinks."

"Well, if she dreamed about him and he dreamed about her, maybe it is a done deal."

Sam shrugged.

--

Kristine went into town to buy some picnic-type food for dinner and then she and Dean took the boys to the pond. The kids explored the new area under Dean's watchful eye as he helped Kristine set things out.

Nicholas had apparently enjoyed the zoo, especially the chimpanzees, and he told Kristine about them in minute detail while Alex sat nearby, only nibbling at his food. As soon as Nicholas took a break to eat a few bites, Kristine brought Alex into the conversation and his mood gradually turned brighter.

She was constantly surprised by how introverted the young man was and she couldn't help but make comparisons. In some ways he was very much like Dean, but like Sam in others. In her conversations with the Raines, she had become aware of their compassion and concern; Kristine was sure they would be able to nurture the very different boys and help them to grow into good men.

Kristine glanced at Dean after everyone had finished eating. She wanted to talk to the boys about what was going to happen the next day, but Dean didn't seem to be interested. It was going to be hard for him to turn the boys over to strangers, but if it was a good match, it had to be done. She knew that Dean understood that, but it wouldn't make doing it any easier.

"Hey, guys?" Kristine pulled their attention back to her before they could get too interested in something else. "Can we talk to you about something?"

The brothers exchanged a look.

"Can you come over here?" she asked.

They looked at each other again, then moved closer. Kristine pulled Nicholas onto her lap and Alex sat between her and Dean on a blanket.

Kristine looked at Dean. She'd really wanted this news to come from him and they'd talked about how to tell the boys, but Dean seemed incapable of speaking.

"We wanted to talk to you about two people who will be visiting tomorrow."

"The lady in my dream?" Nicholas asked, looking up at Kristine.

"Well," she hesitated. "It might be. Their names are Keith and Angelica. They live in Charlotte, which isn't too far from here. They don't have any kids, but they really want to."

"They know about vampires?" Alex asked.

"They didn't at first, but they knew other things. Angelica has dreams just like Nicholas does."

"Did she dream about us?"

Kristine smiled at Nicholas. 'Yeah, she did. She and one of my cousins have been friends for a long time. I've talked to hear a few times and –"

"Do we have to live with them?" Alex interrupted, looking at Dean.

Kristine looked at him, too, a little apprehensive of his answer. He cleared his throat. "No, you don't have to live with them. But I really hope you'll give them a fair chance."

Alex looked away.

"What is it?" Dean asked him.

Alex shrugged.

"Alex?"

The boy got to his feet and started down the road quickly. Dean missed Nicholas' dramatic sigh and he rushed to catch up to the older boy.

"What's going on?" Dean asked once he and Alex were away from the others.

"What if…." he looked off into the distance.

Dean crouched down in front of the boy. "What if you get attached and something happens to them?"

Alex nodded as tears glistened in his eyes.

"You know as well as anyone that there aren't any guarantees," Dean said looking at him. "But, well, you can't live your life being afraid of what if. Bad things will happen; that's just life. Good things will happen, too."

Alex looked thoughtful. "Will they let me keep learning how to fight and stuff? And Nicholas when he's old enough?"

"We'll talk to them about it. Maybe you can take karate or something."

Alex seemed to experiencing several emotions at once and Dean braced himself.

"Have you talked to them?"

"Not yet," Dean admitted.

Alex looked annoyed.

"Hey, come on. It's not like there haven't been a few things going on in the last few days. Cut me some slack. I trust Kristine's judgment, but I'll meet them tomorrow and if I don't like them…."

"Whatever," Alex turned away.

Dean hesitated for a moment, but then put a hand on his shoulder and turned him back around. "I'm not letting you down here, Alex."

Dean was sure an angry outburst was coming, but then it was as if the air had gone out of him. Alex's shoulders slumped and he nodded. "I know."

"You're sure?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. It's just….Nicholas….he's different and I don't….I don't know, Dean."

"What do you mean he's different?"

"I think it's the dreams. He believes them, and they come true so I guess he should, but..."

"But what?"

"What if only the bad ones come true?"

"You said they started out with normal things, like what would be for breakfast. That's not a bad thing."

"I guess."

"I know it's a lot to get used to. It was for me when Sam first started having his dreams. I was scared because something was happening to my little brother that I couldn't do anything about. You know, it's probably kind of weird for Keith, too. Maybe the two of you can talk about it."

"I want to talk to you about it."

"You can."

"Why can't we live with you?" Alex demanded suddenly.

Dean took a deep breath. He stood up and led Alex to a nearby log that had been carved into a bench.

"Alex, you know that Sam and I don't have a home. We go around helping people and –"

"Nicky and I are people."

"Yeah, you are," Dean agreed, feeling as if he was losing what little control of the situation he had.

"Kristine is your girlfriend, right? You could stay here and we could be a family."

Alex sounded desperate and Dean was taken off guard. He hadn't been expecting that question and had no idea how it had even occurred to Alex. Would it be so bad spending his last few months in one place? Living with Kristine and taking care of the boys? But then what? Kristine would be left alone with them….

"It's really complicated, Alex," Dean began.

"But she's your girlfriend, right?"

"Look, that's not important right now. We both care about you guys; we all care about you. Sam, Bobby, Ellen….But the thing is, none of us would be the right people to take care of you no matter how much we care. We think the Keith and Angelica would be, though. They know a lot about the supernatural, but they aren't hunters. They can give you a stable and safe home. And you going to live with them doesn't change how the rest of us feel about you."

Alex nodded, staring straight ahead. Dean put an arm around his shoulders and after brief resistance, Alex leaned against him.

"Will you just give them a chance?" Dean asked quietly.

"I guess."

"Good enough," Dean said.

oooOOOooo

Sam couldn't sleep that night and was busy researching on the computer when he heard a floorboard creak outside the bedroom door. He was going to ignore it, but with hunters in the house, he decided he should check it out.

"Hey," Sam said in a whispered to Dean as he was about to knock on the bedroom door. "What are you doing here?"

"You're awake?"

Sam shrugged. Dean didn't seem to be in the mood for a snappy comeback. "Yeah; I couldn't sleep. I thought you were staying at the cottage tonight."

"Yeah, I was. I am. I guess I couldn't sleep either." He looked toward the stairs and Sam knew he wanted company – and probably a beer. Sam followed him to the kitchen and a moment later they were at the table with drinks in front of them.

"Worried about the Raines' visit?" Sam guessed.

Dean looked at the bottle in his hands and nodded. "I don't know what I want to happen."

"You don't want Nicholas and Alex to like them?"

"I do. I guess. I mean, that would be best, right?"

"Probably." Sam watched his brother. He seemed to be struggling with something. "You don't think so?"

"No. I mean, yeah, I do. It would be best."

"What's going on, man?" Sam asked after a few minutes of watching Dean rotate the beer bottle between his hands.

"I just wish…." Dean stopped and laughed bitterly. "Yeah, well, none of my wishes have ever come true, so what does it matter?"

"You wish the boys could stay with Kristine?"

"Yeah," Dean sighed, still not meeting Sam's eyes. "But I get why they can't."

"What about you staying with Kristine?"

"We've talked about that, Sam."

"Hey, we're talking wishes here."

"Alex asked me if Kristine was my girlfriend."

"What did you tell him?"

"I avoided the question," Dean said with a slight laugh. "He wanted to know why we couldn't all stay here as a family, but he eventually agreed to give the Raines a chance."

"What about you? Are you willing to give them a chance?"

Finally, Dean looked at Sam. "I have to."

"Dean…." Sam looked down at the table, then back to his brother. "Look, man, I've been watching you since we've been here and I see how much you care about those boys and about Kristine, but –"

"How many times are we going to have the same conversation, Sammy? Just let it go."

"Okay, fine, you decide it's time to go and you know I'm right there with you. I just want you to know that….God, it just sounds so weak."

"What does?" Dean asked him.

"You've always given up everything for me and all I can do is say thank you."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to say anything. You never asked me to do anything. I did it because…." Dean cleared his throat. "I did it because you're my brother and I'd do anything for you."

--

Dean was polite to the Raines when they arrived the next day and it wasn't long before he knew they would be the perfect people to raise Nicholas and Alex. He watched as they interacted with the boys and he couldn't deny that even Alex had been won over rather easily.

Things began moving fairly quickly after the initial visit. Dean and Kristine took the boys to Charlotte for a few days to spend some time in their potential new home. For the first two days, they all stayed together and went back to the hotel suite at night. On the third day, the boys spent several hours alone with the Raines.

Kristine had talked with them about the demon that had an interest in the boys. They had understandably been a little shocked at first, but since they weren't completely unaware of the supernatural, they recovered relatively quickly. Dean insisted giving them a crash course in protection before agreeing to let the boys spend the night in the Raines' home.

He was happy things seemed to be working out so well, though he couldn't help but be a little sad, too. He tried not to think about it; instead he concentrated on the time he was able to spend with Kristine. He even managed to not hate being around members of her family.

Sam had turned down the invitation to go to Charlotte. He took advantage of the time by continuing to research ways they might be able to get Dean out of his deal. He also looked for signs of demon activity and the next job. He talked to Dean at least once every day and heard the melancholy tone to his brother's voice when he talked about how well the boys were doing with Keith and Angelica.

The decision that the boys would move to Charlotte was not a difficult one to make, though Kristine knew Dean had made it grudgingly. She knew he really wanted them to be with her, but she didn't have the confidence that Dean had. She's slipped too many times before and though she felt completely healthy at the moment, she knew how easily that could change.

Nicholas and Alex weren't left out of the decision-making process. Nicholas wasn't a great judge of character yet; despite his experiences, he still loved everyone immediately and unconditionally. Alex was already very jaded and much more frugal with his affections, but he assured Dean and Kristine that he liked the Raines and thought living with them would be all right.

The boys were to go back to the estate with Dean and Kristine at the end of the weekend. Bobby had agreed to help teach the Raines the basics about demons and protection and after arriving, he would need at least a few days to make sure things were safe enough for the boys to come back. In the meantime, they would stay in Mountain Ridge.

Kristine had been in contact with George who told her that he and the others who ran the group home had decided to find a new place rather than wait for new construction on the old lot. He had already gotten most of the kids back and would have room for even more than before. George and Tom were keeping in touch, though so far Tom hadn't managed to track down any more of the children that Kek seemed to be interested in.

There was some concern that having many of the children Kek was after in one place might make the demon's job easier, but having fewer places to protect outweighed that worry.

--

"How ya doin, Sam?" Ellen asked as she joined him on the deck late Sunday afternoon.

They hadn't had much time to talk while Dean and the others were gone because hunters had been coming and going the entire time. Sam helped out where he could, but it hadn't taken Ellen long to take ownership of her position at the estate. There were even a few people who knew her from the Roadhouse making special trips to North Carolina just to see her.

Sam nodded at her. "I'm all right. It's been busy, huh?"

She sat down across from him and took a long draw of her beer. "Yeah, but I like it."

"I know I said this before, but I'm glad you decided to stay."

"So am I," she confirmed. "You know, I just sat myself out here without asking if you wanted company."

"I don't mind," he said. And he didn't. He suspected that Ellen had something on her mind, and he figured he knew what it was, but he welcomed her presence.

The day was warm, but there was a breeze floating through that kept being outside bearable. Sam was beginning to feel antsy, like it was time to move on. He knew the job was nearly finished, or as finished as it could be. He'd been talking with Tom and Bobby, trying to find a way to track down Kek. They'd talked about summoning the demon and killing it with the Colt, but there were still too many unknowns to make that a good idea.

Bobby had been able to find no reference to Kek in any of his books. It was possible the demon was known by more than one name, but without having more concrete information, summoning it could be a big mistake. He'd been fairly certain that Liam was the name of the meat suit that demon had taken on and though it seemed like it had been telling the truth, there was no getting around that demons lie.

Ruby had made contact with Bobby and they'd spoken at length about the situation. She admitted she didn't really know Liam and had only come to help because she'd known Sam was in danger. She couldn't really vouch for the authenticity of Liam's story, though no one would completely trust her word, anyway.

After many long conversations, everyone had decided the best course was to wait and try to learn as much as they could before taking any drastic action.

"So, Sam," Ellen pulled Sam away from his thoughts. "You're not going to make yourself scarce around here after….well, if you and Dean don't find a way out of his deal…."

Sam had guessed right about Ellen's intentions. He was grateful for her concern, but he really didn't know what he was going to do. So far he'd refused to believe that they wouldn't find a way out of the deal and what he was going to do afterward would become moot. He was occasionally struck by how futile his efforts were proving to be, but yet he was determined not to give up.

The truth was, though, he remembered what he'd felt like after Dean died; Sam had found a way out of the time loop that had them reliving Tuesday after Tuesday, but still Dean had died. Sam had grown dark and single-minded in his pursuit of the Trickster; somehow knowing that he was behind the whole mess. Would it be different when Dean was taken away to Hell? There would be no Trickster to track down; no one to bring his brother back. Would he want to be alone, or would he crave the company of people who had known and cared about his brother?

Sam kept changing his mind about that. He knew it would do him good to be around Bobby, Kristine and Ellen. Maybe it would help them somehow, too. But to think about what he'd do once Dean was gone was like admitting that he couldn't save his brother. If he let himself think that way, he'd be lost.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love," Ellen said with a gentle tone. "And I know you do, too."

"Not like this."

Sam was surprised by his comment. It wasn't that he hadn't been thinking about it for some time, but he'd not expected to ever say it out loud. Now that he had, he felt the need to continue.

"Dean isn't just dying," he said without looking at Ellen. "He's going to Hell. He's going to suffer forever and there's nothing I can find to keep it from happening. How am I supposed to live with that?"

"There's still time to –"

"It's an ironclad deal, Ellen. Time isn't going to change that."

"So, how _do_ you live with it?" she asked.

Sam finally turned toward her. "I don't know."

"I don't, either, Sam. But I do know that Dean wouldn't want you feeling guilty about it."

"How am I supposed to not feel guilty about it? I can't just forget about him; forget that he's in Hell. I'm going to think about it every single second of the day and…."

"And what?" Ellen prompted gently.

It hurts. Already. And since we've been here….I've been watching him with those boys and with Kristine. We've talked about how much he wants to be with them and now he'll never get the chance to have a real like with Kristine. He'll –"

"Hold it right there," Ellen leaned forward and set her beer on the deck next to her chair. "Don't kid yourself, Sam. Dean was never going to stop hunting; he was never going to let himself have a real life with Kristine. I don't pretend to understand those two, but I'm here to tell ya that Dean going to Hell is not the reason they'll never stay together."

Sam sighed. "You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right," she smiled. "Look, honey, I know this is hard for you and it will probably never really get any easier, but I want you to remember you have friends that care about you."

"I know that," Sam said quietly. "And Kristine has told me that I'll still be welcome here any time, but….Every time she looks at me…."

"She doesn't blame you."

"I almost wish she did."

"What does that mean?" Ellen asked.

"Just that it might be easier if she wasn't so understanding."

"Oh, honey, she knows Dean. I doubt it came as any big surprise that he'd make a deal to bring you back and she's not going to blame you for that."

Sam turned toward the unmistakable sound of the Impala's engine coming from the direction of the long driveway. He appreciated Ellen's concern, but was glad their conversation would have to end.

oooOOOooo

Sam and Dean met Bobby in Charlotte a few days later. They planned intensive training for the Raines, so Nicholas and Alex stayed in Mountain Ridge. Keith and Angelica were eager to make their home safe for the boys and proved to be good students. They'd done some research on their own and read some of the things Dean had suggested to them.

Kristine spent time in Asheville every day, but was careful to also make time for the boys. Nicholas was excited about his new home and encouraged Alex to follow his example. Kristine would describe the older boy as cautiously optimistic, but she was glad for that much.

She and Ellen planned a special morning for them on the day they would be leaving the estate. The evening before had been spent packing; they certainly had a lot more now than when they arrived. Kristine had a few gifts for them, including the game system she'd purchased.

It was only a two hour drive to Charlotte and Nicholas chattered the whole way. His excitement was contagious and Alex soon mirrored his little brother's enthusiasm. Kristine didn't mind the constant noise because it was better than the alternative. Of course, if they'd been dead set against living with the Raines, no one would have made them.

Kristine drove directly to Keith and Angelica's house and was surprised by the strong emotion she felt seeing the Impala parked out front. It hadn't hit her until just then that Sam and Dean would probably be moving on once they made sure the boys had been settled and that once they were gone, she would probably never see Dean again. It was all she could do to mask her sudden sadness, but she managed it and what little leaked through she could pretend was because the boys would be staying behind.

_TBC_


	10. Chapter 10

**The Job is Never Done**

Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N: **We've reached the end of another journey. Thanks for coming along with me and a little extra thanks for those who took the time to review either publicly or privately. Until next time….

oooOOOooo

_People so seldom say I love you and then it's either too late or love goes. So when I tell you I love you, It doesn't mean I know you'll never go, Only that I wish you didn't have to._

Unknown

_Until this moment, I never understood how hard it was to lose something you never had._

Unknown

oooOOOooo

Kristine, Bobby and the Winchesters were staying in Charlotte after a big celebratory dinner at the Raines' house that night. Even though there was another meal together planned for the next morning, Dean had a hard time saying goodnight to the boys. Angelica was already feeling very maternal toward them, but insisted that Dean tuck them in to bed that night.

There were enough bedrooms in the house that each boy could have had his own, but when asked, their opinion they'd insisted on sharing a room. Keith and Angelica had done some redecorating, but left most of the decisions for after the boys felt more at home. Dean smiled at Nicholas' glee when he saw the _Cars_ themed bedspread that was on the bed obviously meant for him.

"You'll be here for breakfast tomorrow, right?" Alex asked as Dean sat on the edge of his bed while Nicholas got settled.

"Wouldn't miss it." Dean noticed the look of apprehension on the boy's face. "You know, Keith and Angelica listened to what we had to teach them. This place is just as safe as the estate."

Alex nodded and Dean realized his mood wasn't coming from fear.

"They have my cell phone number and I'm still gonna call you every week. Kristine is just two hours away if you need anything."

In addition to the formal arrangements that had to be made for Nicholas and Alex to live with them, Keith and Angelica had promised that the Winchesters and Kristine were welcome to visit the boys any time. They expressed a strong desire for the relationships between them to continue, knowing it would be best for the boys.

"Are you going back on the road after you leave here?"

"Probably pretty soon," Dean confirmed. "But remember what I told you. You can call me any time."

"Me too?" Nicholas asked from across the room.

Dean laughed. "Yeah, you, too. After you get permission from Keith and Angelica."

--

Kristine came out of the bathroom in the hotel room and saw Dean standing at the window, staring outside. She paused for a moment, then approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back.

"They're gonna be okay," Kristine said softly after several minutes.

"You're probably right."

"I'll keep an eye on them. And my cousin will see them regularly, I'm sure. Her son is about the same age as Nicholas."

"I just feel like I'm leaving them in the lurch. Just like I'm leaving Sammy. You." Dean's voice was practically a whisper.

Kristine tightened her hold on him. After a moment she slipped in front of him and felt his arms circle around her. "Baby, we're all more worried about you than ourselves. We'll manage."

Dean didn't say anything, but a few moments later. he pulled away and disappeared into the bathroom. When Kristine heard the shower start, she knew he needed some time alone. She climbed into bed and when Dean joined her a while later, he held her close and stayed quiet. She didn't push him and it wasn't long before she heard an even cadence to his breathing. She let herself relax and fell asleep.

--

Breakfast the next morning was hard for Kristine and the hunters, but they concentrated on making it a fun time for Nicholas and Alex. Sam was more concerned about his brother than the boys; he could see behind Dean's façade and knew he wasn't nearly as positive as he seemed. Of course, he was glad the boys would have a home and that they'd be close to Kristine, but this was likely his final goodbye to them. Sam knew how his brother felt about them and could only imagine how hard leaving would be for him.

Dean handled it well and had the boys laughing as they left the restaurant. To anyone watching, it probably looked like a group of friends saying goodbye knowing they would be together again soon. There were no tears, only hugs and promises to call. Sam knew that Dean would keep his promise for as long as he could.

The Raines loaded the boys into their car and headed out of the parking lot as the others stood next to the Impala and waved. Once they were out of site, Dean's expression fell and he reached into his pocket for the car keys.

"Hey guys?" Sam took a few steps closer to Dean. "I, uh, well, Bobby and I decided something last night and…."

"What is it, Sam?" Dean asked, clearly not in the mood for a conversation.

'I'm gonna drive Kristine's car back to the estate, then head out to Bobby's with him."

Dean looked at him suspiciously. "Why? You find a job?"

"No. It'll give you guys a little time together; just the two of you."

Dean glanced at Kristine, then back to his brother.

"It's decided," Sam said before Dean could object. "Neither of you get a say in it. Go to the estate or go somewhere else, but I'm heading to Bobby's."

Dean nodded.

"Thanks, Sam," Kristine said, her voice soft.

--

They'd already put their things into the cars before leaving the hotel for breakfast, but when they went back some reshuffling had to be done. Kristine said goodbye to Bobby and quietly asked him to distract Dean for a few minutes so she could talk to Sam.

"Hey," she said as she handed over her car keys. "Thanks for this."

"Sure." He seemed uncomfortable.

"Sam…." Kristine glanced away, then looked him in the eye. "I know we've had several conversations about this while you were at the estate, but I need to know that you understand I want you to come back. I want you to stay in my life; no matter what happens."

"I know you say that, but…." Sam looked over her head toward his brother.

"I don't say what I don't mean," Kristine felt the tears welling in her eyes, but she managed not to let them fall even as she reached for Sam's hand. "You're family, Sam."

He looked back at her, his own tears now burning his eyes. Kristine made the first move; she put her arms around him and Sam returned the hug without hesitation.

Dean approached them a few moments later and after an affectionate glance at Sam, she walked over to the Impala. The brothers didn't really need to say anything to one another. They both knew that no matter how much Dean might want to stay with Kristine, he would be in South Dakota within a few days.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Dean joked.

Sam smiled. "That leaves the door pretty wide open."

Dean glanced around, then looked back to his brother. "Sam, look, I….I know you want to find a way out of this deal and I know I've had to pull you back a couple times from doing something….Promise me you won't do anything stupid while you're on your own."

"Come on, man. What could I do?"

Dean eyed him suspiciously and Sam laughed briefly. "I promise, okay?"

"I'll be there in a few days."

"Take your time."

"Call me if something comes up?"

"Dean, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know. I'll call tonight."

Sam knew that nothing he said would ease his brother's mind. Dean worried about him; it was hard to look out for him when they weren't together. A look full of unspoken affection passed between the brothers before they turned away from one another.

It wasn't often that they went their separate ways for more than a few hours and Sam had to admit, if only to himself, that he didn't especially like it. He was struck by how hard it was to drive away without his brother, even though he knew Dean would be with him again soon. Their time together was limited and as much as Sam liked Kristine and appreciated her love for Dean, he couldn't help but be a little resentful that she was taking precious days with Dean away from him.

There'd been a time when Sam had actually been jealous of their relationship; not just because he missed Jessica and the intimacy of what they'd had, but because he didn't want someone to come between him and Dean. They'd worked too hard to rebuild what they'd lost while Sam was at Stanford and Sam had come to realize how much he'd missed his brother. But he learned that Kristine had no intention of trying to come between then; even if she did, Dean wouldn't let it happen.

oooOOOooo

Dean waited until Sam and Bobby had driven off before he turned to Kristine. "Where do you want to go?"

She shrugged. "You have any ideas? I can make a lot of things happen. Hell, we could go to Europe for a few days if you wanted to."

"No," Dean shook his head. "I just want something simple."

"We could go back to the cottage."

"We could be interrupted there. I know Ellen can handle things, but…."

After a little thought and discussion, they decided to head to the coast. Kristine's cousin owned a house on the beach that, after a quick phone call, she agreed to let them use.

They agreed to spend four days together and while Dean drove, Kristine managed to rearrange all of her appointments at the clinic. She knew she was taking advantage of her boss and colleagues; she probably wasn't doing the best she could for her clients, either. This was an extraordinary circumstance, though, and she couldn't give up the next few days with Dean. And while she didn't want to dwell on that, she knew they were likely the last ones she would ever have with him.

--

The house wasn't huge or particularly fancy like Dean had been expecting, but it was nice and being right on the beach, was probably worth a fortune.

"You've been here before?" Dean asked once they were inside. He glanced around the big living room; the furniture was big and comfortable looking.

She nodded. "I don't spend much time with my family, but I have obligations. I do like Melissa, though, and with the boys in Charlotte, I suspect I'll be more in touch with her than before."

"I don't want to talk about the boys." He flopped down onto the couch in the living room.

"What do you want to do?" Kristine asked, sitting next to him.

Dean put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, darlin. I don't think I'm gonna be real good company."

"That's okay. I wasn't planning to be gone from home for more than a couple of days. I think I'll I run to the store for a few things and then bring back something for dinner."

Dean kissed her hair. "Thanks."

--

Kristine found Dean sleeping on the couch when she got back. He'd been restless the night before and hadn't been able to sleep. She put the Chinese food she'd brought for dinner in the refrigerator, took her bags to the bedroom, and then settled on the deck outside with a beer and a book she'd found on the bedside table.

The sun was just coming over the horizon the next morning when Kristine woke up. She was disoriented and stiff from sleeping on the padded lounge. There was a breeze coming up from the water, but the air was already humid and her skin felt gritty.

She stood up slowly and stretched, then made her way inside. Dean wasn't on the couch and she smelled coffee brewing in the kitchen. Not ready to be sociable yet, Kristine went to the bedroom and grabbed some clothes before moving into attached bathroom.

Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed when she'd finished showering.

"Hey."

She smiled. "Hey."

"Sorry I left you on the deck, but you were pretty out of it."

"It's okay. The shower worked out most of the knots and the mosquitoes were kind. When did you wake up?"

"Around midnight, but I didn't stay awake."

"You okay?"

Dean shrugged. "Okay enough. I'm sorry about yesterday."

Kristine shook her head. "Let's just start fresh today, okay?"

Dean held out his hand and Kristine moved forward to take it. They didn't leave the bedroom until noon.

--

They stayed mostly at the house over the next couple of days, except for evening walks along the mostly private beach. Though the truth wasn't ever very far away, they managed not to think about how little time they had together or why it was ending.

Dean was awake early the day they were leaving the coast. He stood on the deck for a while, but moved down to the sand when the sun began to rise. He'd been the closest to happy as he'd ever been these last few days, but reality was coming in with the same force as the tide.

He'd talked to Sam at least once a day and was looking forward to seeing him again, even after so short a time apart, but he already missed Kristine. Dean didn't know if he'd see her again, but they were both operating on the premise that this was the end. He regretted things that wouldn't even be different if he wasn't going to die in less than a year. Things like not settling down with her; not having a family. He knew that he'd never have done that anyway, but knowing that he never could now bothered him.

Dean didn't hear her coming toward him, but he wasn't startled when she sat in the sand next to him. She rubbed his back and rested her head on his shoulder; he let his hand fall onto her leg. They sat quietly, watching the water. Dean made no move to get up, even when the waves began to reach his bare feet.

"Dean…." Kristine whispered into his ear a few moments later as the water flowed around them.

He knew they had to go, but he didn't want to move.

"Come on, babe," Kristine said as she stood up and held out her hand. Dean sighed and stood up, taking her hand as they headed into the house.

--

Kristine led him to the bedroom. She had something to tell him, but she wasn't ready to talk. She just wanted to touch him and to feel him touching her. Later, they lay in bed together, her head on his chest.

"We should get on the road soon," Dean said quietly, his voice full of sadness.

"Yeah, about that," Kristine began. "I'm not going with you."

"What do you mean?" he moved to look at her face.

"I only want happy memories of you there."

"How are you going to get home?"

"I'll rent a car."

"I'm not leaving you stranded here."

"I'm not stranded."

Dean settled back down next to her and pulled her close. "I'm not ready to say goodbye."

"We've never said goodbye before," Kristine whispered. "No reason to start now."

"Except that this time –"

"Don't say it."

"You sure you'll be able to get home okay?" Dean asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah; I'll be fine."

"I'm still gonna call, you know. And you'll still call me."

"Yeah."

Dean seemed about to say something else, then he tossed aside the sheet. Kristine moved away from him and he got out of bed, heading toward the bathroom. While Dean showered, Kristine pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, then went into the kitchen to make coffee.

She was leaning against a counter, cup of coffee in hand, when he joined her. He turned down her offer of a cup, but didn't resist when she poured the rest of the pot into a commuter mug for him.

Standing next to the Impala a few minutes later, Dean caressed her hair. "You sure you'll be able to get home okay?"

Kristine nodded.

He leaned down to kiss her.

"I adore you, Dean Winchester," she said looking into his eyes.

--

Dean was over a day's drive away from South Dakota, but he barely took time out for gas and coffee. He didn't want to stop; didn't want to stay in a motel. When he was too tired to drive and caffeine didn't help, he pulled into a rest stop and slept in the car. He wouldn't allow himself to feel anything, but the overwhelming desire to get to his brother wouldn't be denied.

Dean saw the relieved look on Sam's face when he walked into Bobby's house and was thankful his brother let him pretend he was all right. They didn't talk about Dean's last few days with Kristine or about his reckless drive to meet Sam. It wasn't long before they had a new job and with something to concentrate on, things gradually fell back into the Winchester version of normal.

Alex and Nicholas got used to their new home quickly and the more time that passed with no incidents, helped even Alex forget about the dark cloud hanging over his brother's head.

Kristine worked hard to keep herself on track. She and Ellen grew closer, but Kristine refused to talk to her about Dean.

Months later, without warning, Sam appeared at the main house of the estate. Kristine had had only a rough idea of when Dean's deal was due and when she opened the door to find Sam on the porch alone, she knew it was over.

Sam walked past her and into the house. They sat together on the couch, but it was a long time before either of them spoke.

_The End_


End file.
